New | Bogus cop in China worked from a fake police station at home

A Chinese man set up his home to look like a police station to cheat money from people in trouble, local media reported.

The man, surnamed Lei, was arrested by Huangpu district police in Wuhan, Hubei province, after he tried to blackmail his ex-girlfriend and she reported the matter to the authorities, according to Chutian Metropolis Daily.

The pair had met in 2012. The woman was charmed by Lei, who claimed to be an army captain then, was often in military attire and even drove a car with a siren. In 2013, after Lei told her he had switched jobs to become a policeman, the two started to date.

But in April, the woman requested a break-up after growing suspicious of Lei. He refused, and to show her he was indeed a powerful policeman, he told her he had had her monitored and gave her a detailed list of her daily activities.

Last week, Lei demanded 80,000 yuan (HK$101,000) from the woman as a break-up fee for having taken such good care of her over the years. When she refused, he showed her a video of them having sex and threatened to publicise the tape.