119 arrested over HK$20 million scheme selling fake ID cards for illegal work
Operation, conducted with Guangdong and Zhuhai authorities, dismantles syndicate forging identity cards and arranging illegal jobs in city
Hong Kong and mainland Chinese authorities have arrested 119 people linked to a HK$20 million (US$2.6 million) racket that sold fake identity cards and arranged accommodation for cross-border workers to obtain jobs illegally in the city – the largest sum recorded in such a case to date.
The city’s Immigration Department said on Thursday the operation, code-named “Sharpspear”, was carried out between last October and January this year in collaboration with Guangdong provincial and Zhuhai authorities.
Tang Ka-fai, senior principal immigration officer of enforcement at the department, said local authorities would follow up on cases involving 102 of the suspects.
“We will continue to step up inspections regarding illegal workers … to safeguard the employment opportunities of local workers and maintain social order,” he said.
During the operation, about 40 fake Hong Kong identity cards and 24 photocopies were seized.
Those arrested included illegal workers and employers, along with a syndicate mastermind and an accomplice. The group was believed to have been active for about a year.