Reported robberies drop 28%

Robberies and burglaries have fallen from last year following a crack down on property crime, police said Thursday.

Police received about 28 percent fewer robbery reports through May 20 this year compared with the same period in 2012, according to the Shanghai Public Security Bureau.

The number of reported robberies employing "fast vehicles" fell 35 percent, and the number of reported burglaries fell 2.5 percent.

On May 15, the Songjiang district police detained two suspects, surnamed Zhou and Wang, accused of stealing 30 motorcycles worth about 200,000 yuan ($32,598). The pair targeted bikes with engines larger than 125 cubic centimeters. They usually found the motorcycles parked around construction sites in remote areas, and then sold the vehicles in Qingpu and Jiading districts.

In a separate case, Fengxian district police reported that they solved an online fraud case in which the suspects hacked into instant messenger accounts so they could trick users into sending them money by posing as their friends or relatives.

One suspect, surnamed Tan, fooled a company accountant surnamed Shen into thinking he was Shen's boss. Over the instant messenger, Tan asked Shen to send him a large amount of money for business purposes. Shen complied and transferred 520,000 yuan to Tan's bank account, which included Shen's personal savings and company funds.

An investigation determined that the money had been withdrawn in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Shanghai police officers flew to the city to continue their investigation. Using surveillance camera footage, they were able to track down Tan and another suspect.