Beijing police have detained a woman after she tried to ride the subway with a suitcase containing what appeared to be two guns, media reported on Monday.
Zhao Siyu, an X-ray baggage scanner operator on duty at Gongzhufen Station's security checkpoint, noticed two gun-shaped items in a black suitcase during a regular security check on July 13, Beijing Youth Daily reported.
Zhao immediately notified other station security staff by using code words, and they coordinated to divert the other passengers to go to different security checkpoints.
To avoid panicking the people in the queue, subway staff shut down the X-ray machine discreetly by saying it was malfunctioning, Beijing Youth Daily reported.
The woman refused to open the suitcase at first, claiming she had no idea what was inside.
However, she then relented and an X-ray baggage scanner operator named Li Keyan opened the suitcase and confirmed that what was inside did appear to be guns and ammunition. Subway security staff then inspected the items, which turned out to be one 90-centimeter-long gun and one 15-centimeter-long gun and 50 rounds of ammunition.
The suitcase was then put in quarantine in the X-ray scanner while staff called the police. The female passenger, the suitcase and the suspected firearms are in police custody and an investigation is underway.
Guns and other dangerous items are not allowed to be taken onto the Beijing subway. Under the gun administration law that took effect in 1996, only hunters and herders in designated hunting and pastoral zones can apply for permits to own firearms.
X-ray scanner operators can be fined up to 1,000 yuan ($151.41) for failing to identify contraband, qianlong.com reported.
