Jinghai man detained for corrupt leasing activity

A man, surnamed Xia, has been detained for five days due to renting his one-story house, located in Jinghai district of Tianjin, to pyramid sellers.

Police said Xia, who allegedly knew the lessees were using his house for criminal activities, failed to report to the public security organ, while still leasing out the premises on two occasions in November 2016 and March 2017.

A man from the rental agency, surnamed Chen, who also helped Xia rent out his premises, was also punished, local police said.

The death of Li Wenxing, a young Chinese university graduate who was reportedly lured into a pyramid scheme on a job-seeking website, has captured the attention of many after making national headlines.

On August 6, 2,000 law enforcement officers were sent to catch scammers in Jinghai, and reported spotting 301 places in the district, including 63 people, were involved in pyramid schemes, according to the official micro-blog of the Jinghai district government.

The district government issued a statement, on Sunday, which stated any whistle-blower identifying such activity would be eligible for a reward of 20,000 yuan ($2,970).

Zhao Fei, head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the Communist Party of China Tianjin Committee, said Jinghai was an area with rampant pyramid scheme activity and the activities must be eliminated within 20 days.

Zhang Yi contributed to this story.