Gang 'steals escalator'
December 5, 2004
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A subway station in southern China has been forced to delay its opening after an armed gang broke in and stole the escalator, a news report said today.

A gang of 24 men held up builders and looted the construction site at Gouwugongyuan station in Shenzhen, stealing an entire escalator and six steel pillars.

Terrified security guards stood by as the robbers went back and forth, carrying materials to trucks waiting outside, the South China Morning Post reported.

The station, next to the Shenzhen Exhibition Centre, was due to open on December 28 but will not now be finished on time, the newspaper said.

One construction worker quoted by the newspaper said looting was rife at subway construction sites.

"A few days ago they robbed another (subway) site a few kilometres from here," he said. "They even sent in a crane to lift their loot onto trucks. It's completely lawless."

Shenzhen, which borders Hong Kong, is one of China's fastest-growing cities and has a reputation as a city where crime and robberies are rife.
Reference... http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Gang-steals-escalator/2004/12/04/110192...

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