Alleged mafia-style gang leader claims cops tortured him to confess

CHONGQING: Alleged gang boss Fan Qihang - an accomplice of Gong Gangmo, who reported his own lawyer for instructing him to falsely "claim police torture" - said in court yesterday the police beat him into signing statements of confession.

Fan told the Chongqing No 1 intermediate people's court that he was strung to the ceiling of a cell and tortured for more than 10 days by police of Jiangbei district bureau - a near identical accusation that took Gong's lawyer, Li Zhuang, to trial on charges of fabricating evidence on Dec 30, 2009.

The intermediate people's court yesterday opened trial on the 34-member gang, allegedly led by Fan, 39, and Gong, 46, on charges of murder, drug trafficking and illegal trade and possession of firearms among other crimes.