Chinese robber threatened to blow up a restaurant with sausages

A Chinese robber threatened to blow up a restaurant with sausages, disguised as explosives, strapped to his body.

The 23-year-old man ate a meal at the restaurant, in Benxi, Heilongjang province, before grabbing the owner’s daughter.

He put a knife to her neck and demanded cash from the till – but the restaurateur and other diners overpowered him.

They called the police – but when officers arrived the man, named He, jumped to his feet and revealed his ‘explosive’ belt.

Police managed to restrain He and took him outside to an open space – and called bomb disposal experts, reports the Huashang Morning Post.

“When they experts arrived, they laughed out loud as they quickly realised the explosives were actually sausages,” said a police spokesman.

He said he staged the robbery because he was depressed after splitting up with his girlfriend. He told police he had been “inspired” by the shape of the sausages.

bron: www.ananova.com

Chinese take-away restaurant robbed on second day of Christmas in Holland

On Friday night around 20:45 (8:45 p.m.) a man entered the Chinese take-away restaurant at the Sikkelstraat in Rotterdam (Netherlands) and used a gun to threaten the personnel. The robber left with an unknown amount of money. The police of the district Feijenoord-Ridderster started an investigation.

Police officers have started a neighborhood search and a forensic investigation team are looking for traces the robber might left behind.

Bron: www.regionieuws.nl [27-12-2008]

Band of Canadian robbers targeting `cash-only’ Chinese diners

The cashier at Congee Wong Restaurant carefully eyes every person who walks in.

The Richmond Hill business, squished into a strip plaza just off Highway 7, was robbed in October. In November, the same bandits came back for seconds.

In both incidents, three men rushed into the restaurant, their faces covered with bandanas and hoods. Threatening the staff and the diners with guns and knives, the thieves snatched the cash from the register before running off.

The holdups are a part of a rash of robberies targeting Chinese restaurants. Police say a group of thieves is behind seven robberies in Markham and Richmond Hill since August, and a handful more in northern Scarborough.

Most of the targeted eateries have signs attached to their windows advertising that they’re “cash only.”

“It’s an invitation to robbers,” said York Region Police Chief Armand La Barge.

La Barge and fellow police brass met with members of the Richmond Hill and Markham Chinese Business Association on Thursday to discuss ways to tackle the problem.

Officers have visited scores of local Chinese restaurants over the past few weeks, talking with owners and making recommendations on how to prevent a holdup: invest in credit card machines, don’t leave the back door unlocked, maintain and test surveillance cameras.

Yet some of the restaurants have taken more drastic measures, said Jane Ng, general manager of the business association.

Emperor Fine Cuisine, which was robbed Dec. 4, has a buzzer. Patrons have to be vetted through the glass before they can enter.

Meanwhile, Ng said she knows of a Woodbine Ave. restaurant that didn’t report a robbery to police, and suspects there are more. “They don’t report, to prevent future revenge from the robbers,” she said. Others are afraid the news will scare off clientele.

bron: www.thestar.com [11-12-2009]

Four Canadians charged in Chinese-restaurant robberies

Four people face 200 charges in a series of Chinese-restaurant robberies in the Greater Toronto Area, police announced today.

Since June 17, authorities allege, three men and one youth targeted nearly a dozen Chinese restaurants and a bank. The accused allegedly assaulted the employees and customers, robbing them of cash and personal property.

Yesterday, the Toronto police hold-up squad, working with York Regional Police, executed warrants at five Toronto homes and for two vehicles, during which they reportedly seized a sawed-off shotgun, ammunition, a replica handgun, a knife and a quantity of cash.

Jordan Wilson, 19; Gary Hanson, 20; Raseedi McKenley, 25; and a 16-year-old boy, whose name cannot be released under the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, face a total of 200 charges, including robbery, firearms and property-related offences. They are scheduled to appear at the Old City Hall courthouse tomorrow morning.

bron: network.nationalpost.com [11-12-2009]

Gunmen rob Chinese restaurant in Portsmouth

Two black men with guns robbed a Chinese restaurant in Portsmouth.

They got cash from Hay Hing Chinese Restaurant on Deep Creek Blvd. on the evening of November 28.

Police say one suspect acted as a lookout as the other robbed the employees.

Authorities released surveillance camera images of the suspects, both of whom wore black clothing.

If you know anything about this robbery that can help police, call Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.

bron: www.wvec.com [1-12-2009]

Police are searching for a woman who robbed a Chinese restaurant

Police are investigating a reported robbery at the New China Restaurant on Route 211 in the Town of Wallkill (Orange County, New York, America)
About 9 p.m. Monday, a woman reportedly walked into the New China Restaurant at 254 Route 211 East, armed with a black semiautomatic handgun.
Officials said the woman grabbed cash from the register and fled on foot. Police were searching the area Monday night.

bron: www.recordonline.com [10-11-2009]

Chinese workers living in Angola targeted by gangs

Chinese businessmen in Angola said Sunday that armed gangs are staging “mafia-style” attacks on their workers, calling for the local government to deploy more police to fight crime.

“In the last three months, everyday I have gotten reports from Chinese targeted by robbery, rape and beatings. The criminals are so cruel that they make me feel horrible,” said Xu Ning, the head of the Chinese Business Council in Luanda, who has lived in the Angolan capital for more than 10 years.

Xu told the Global Times that gunmen took away his newly bought Mitsubishi truck Saturday near a police station. “The robbers are not afraid of the police at all,” Xu said. “Some police offices only have one policeman, and they themselves are frightened by the gunmen, not to mention helping us.”

“These are not just normal robberies. … They are planned, like mafia-style attacks. The gangs go first to inspect premises, and then they go back with AK-47s,” said Eddie Zhang, head of the Shanghai Urban Construction Group, the company building Luanda’s new football stadium for the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.

Zhang said his staff had not had any problems, but he had warned his workers to take extra care. More than 40,000 Chinese workers are employed in Angola, around 90 percent on construction sites. Language, cultural barrier, and the habit of carrying cash, seem to be the reasons they are targeted.

Xu said the largest amount robbed he knew of was $700,000. “As the Chinese seldom resist, the hijackers became ever bolder,” he added. According to Xu, Angolans are allowed to carry guns, but foreigners who are not entitled to permanent residency are not.

A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Luanda said that they were aware of incidents against Chinese nationals and were working with Angolan authorities to resolve the problem.

Not only in Angola are Chinese nationals facing a rise in violent attacks, theft and extortion, according to Xinhua, but also in Kyrgyzstan. Several Chinese were injured in burglaries and road robberies in which they were attacked with sticks and guns, said a statement released by the Chinese embassy Friday.

Having been to more than 20 African countries, Liu Hongwu, director of the Institute of African Studies at Zhejiang Normal University, told the Global Times ways of looking after oneself abroad.

“First, you should learn about consular protection, and know where and how to get help when an emergency occurs; second, you should have enough knowledge of the culture, religions and laws in the country and make sure you do not go against them. Finally, it never hurts to be cautious, cautious and cautious, especially when you know the place is not safe,” Liu said.

bron: china.globaltimes.cn [16-11-2009]

Agencies contributed to this story

Chinese targetted by “Angolan maffia”

Tens of thousands of Chinese work reconstructing Angol The Chinese embassy in Angola has advised its nationals not to go out alone at night after a spate of violent attacks on Chinese expatriates. The “mafia-style” gang violence could affect the countries’ relations, say Chinese business leaders in Angola. Recently there has been a series of violent robberies and a Chinese man was murdered in the capital, Luanda. Many more attacks have gone unreported, the head of the Chinese Business Council (CBC) says. ‘Afraid’ Last month robbers reportedly poured boiling water on three Chinese workers in Luanda. In September businessman Xu Tonggou was murdered trying to resist a robbery. On the same day six armed men robbed the offices of a construction company, beating workers with batons and threatening them with AK-47s. “These are just the tip of the iceberg,” says Xu Ning of the CBC. “Things have got worse in the last few months. Just last night someone I was due to have dinner with did not turn up because he had been robbed. “Chinese people here are afraid, they are afraid. They don’t know who’s a criminal.” ‘Bad for business’ What used to be something that happened perhaps once a month has become a daily occurrence. “This is bad for business between Angola and China,” he said. Eddie Zhang, head of Shanghai Urban Construction Group, the company building the new 50,000-capacity football stadium in Luanda, told the BBC that he was hearing of a growing number of attacks and that they weren’t just normal robberies but planned “mafia-style”. Superintendent Jorge Bengue of Luanda’s Police Command police however disputed there was a campaign of violence specifically targeting Chinese nationals in the city. He said crime was a reality in any city in the world and he was not aware of any rise in incidents involving Chinese people. There are tens of thousands of Chinese workers in Angola, involved in reconstruction projects after the country’s 27-year-long civil war. Chinese workers are also building stadiums for the 2010 African Cup of Nations. China has given Angola more than $5bn in oil-backed loans to build infrastructure. bron: news.bbc.co.uk [13-11-2009]

Tens of thousands of Chinese work reconstructing Angol The Chinese embassy in Angola has advised its nationals not to go out alone at night after a spate of violent attacks on Chinese expatriates. The “mafia-style” gang violence could affect the countries’ relations, say Chinese business leaders in Angola. Recently there has been a series of violent robberies and a Chinese man was murdered in the capital, Luanda. Many more attacks have gone unreported, the head of the Chinese Business Council (CBC) says. ‘Afraid’ Last month robbers reportedly poured boiling water on three Chinese workers in Luanda. In September businessman Xu Tonggou was murdered trying to resist a robbery. On the same day six armed men robbed the offices of a construction company, beating workers with batons and threatening them with AK-47s. “These are just the tip of the iceberg,” says Xu Ning of the CBC. “Things have got worse in the last few months. Just last night someone I was due to have dinner with did not turn up because he had been robbed. “Chinese people here are afraid, they are afraid. They don’t know who’s a criminal.” ‘Bad for business’ What used to be something that happened perhaps once a month has become a daily occurrence. “This is bad for business between Angola and China,” he said. Eddie Zhang, head of Shanghai Urban Construction Group, the company building the new 50,000-capacity football stadium in Luanda, told the BBC that he was hearing of a growing number of attacks and that they weren’t just normal robberies but planned “mafia-style”. Superintendent Jorge Bengue of Luanda’s Police Command police however disputed there was a campaign of violence specifically targeting Chinese nationals in the city. He said crime was a reality in any city in the world and he was not aware of any rise in incidents involving Chinese people. There are tens of thousands of Chinese workers in Angola, involved in reconstruction projects after the country’s 27-year-long civil war. Chinese workers are also building stadiums for the 2010 African Cup of Nations. China has given Angola more than $5bn in oil-backed loans to build infrastructure.

Chinese restaurant robbed by gun-toting American man

The police of Goose Creek, in America, are looking for a man who held up a restaurant with a rifle Saturday night.

A black man with a shirt over his face entered the Ocean Island Chinese Restaurant at 5 S. Alliance Drive near College Park Road about 10 p.m. Saturday, pointed a rifle, fired two shots into the ceiling, took money from the register and ran out, Police Sgt. Thomas Hill said.

The suspect appears to be about 18 to 20 years old, Hill said. Police believe it was the same man who robbed the restaurant with another man about two weeks ago.

Anyone with information can call 863-5200 and ask for the tip line.

bron: www.postandcourier.com [9-11-2009]

In America: Chinese restaurant robbed at gunpoint

In Milford, America, the police are investigating a restaurant robbery that happened in Milford Wednesday night.

New Star Chinese Restaurant at 548 Naugatuck Ave. was robbed at gunpoint. The suspect took an undisclosed amount of cash and fled the store on foot, heading towards Lenox Avenue.

A West Have Police K9 tracked the suspect to Lenox Avenue until the suspect’s scent was lost. Police believe the suspect may have left the area in an unknown vehicle.

The suspect is described as a white male, 5′7″ and a thin build. He was wearing a ski mask, black pants, black hooded sweatshirt and winter gloves. The employee of New Star believed he had a Latin accent.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Milford Police at (203) 877-1465.

bron: www.wtnh.com [29-10-2009]