Railway police arrest two ticket scalpers with 99 IDs

Police have arrested two ticket scalpers near Shanghai South Railway Station, confiscating 234 tickets and 99 State identification cards, Shanghai railway police said in a press release Saturday.

The scalpers, surnamed Wang and Yang, built their business selling hard-to-get tickets that earned them profits of 80 yuan ($12.86) to 100 yuan apiece, according to a news report on Dragon TV. They often bought children's tickets, which don't carry a passenger's ID number because children aren't issued State IDs.

Passengers are required to present their IDs when buying train tickets so the ID number can be printed on the face of the ticket, according to the Shanghai municipal government.

Railway staff members are supposed to examine tickets at boarding to make sure the number matches the passenger's ID number.

Wang and Yang primarily bought tickets over the phone using ID cards they purchased or found, according to the report. Railway police officers arrested the pair Thursday after a targeted investigation.