Photo special: Highway, high risk

Plunder stopped

A police officer had to aim a gun at a villager to prevent her from taking oranges that spilled from a truck that had overturned on the Liugouhe Highway in Lanzhou, Northwest China's Gansu Province, on January 4. Police attempted to maintain order as dozens of locals scrambled to gather oranges that fell from the truck, according to news website gansudaily.com.cn. The load of oranges was estimated to be worth more than 200,000 yuan ($33,040). Similar accidents have happened in other places around the country - concerning goods like diesel, pineapples, eggs, and grapes - which local people and passing drivers also attempted to take.

Crime ring dismantled

Police busted a crime ring and detained 12 people suspected of involvement in about 20 extortion cases amounting to robbery of drivers on highways around Beijing, local newspaper Yanzhou Metropolis Daily reported April 2. The authorities said seven people managed to escape.

Corruption

The authorities in Foshan, in South China's Guangdong province, said 30 officials were found guilty of corruption during the construction of a 24.3- kilometer highway in the city, the New Express reported in March 2013.

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