Men in assault case also suspected of money laundering

A group of suspects, who had been arrested for assaulting four women after harassing them on June 10 in Tangshan, Hebei province, were found in a conspiracy to implement internet gambling and money laundering, said an official statement by the Department of Public Security of Hebei province on Tuesday.

Four of them drove to Tangshan from Jiangsu province on June 7. Together with other suspects from Tangshan, they were conspiring in internet gambling and money laundering, it said.

On the morning of June 10, the nine people in question, including two females, dined together at a barbecue restaurant in Lubei district at which Chen harassed a strange female diner and started assaulting her after she refused him. A total of nine suspects including two females were arrested the next day.

A total of nine suspects, including the two females, were arrested the next day.

During the investigation on their assault cases, the police also found clues about Chen, a major suspect, and some other suspects involving crimes of provocation, affray and running gambling houses. Whether they are involved in organized crimes of mafia-like gangs is still under investigation.

Besides the aforementioned, the police found even more about the suspects.

According to the statement, in December 2015, Chen instigated others to unlawfully detain a man surnamed Shang in the name of collecting debt. Shang was assessed with minor injury.

In September 2018, he instigated others to get a loan of more than 100,000 yuan with a mortgage on a stolen car.

In earlier this month, seven people including Chen, implemented internet gambling and money laundering at a hotel in Tangshan, involving more than 660,000 yuan, the statement said.

Suspects involved in the newly discovered illegal acts and crimes have been arrested.