Police officers posing as Halloween partygoers arrested four taxi drivers for attempting to overcharge passengers and hiding their driver license plates.
One of the officers donned a bright pink jumpsuit à la Squid Game guard from the popular Netflix drama, while another was dressed as a vampire, according to the SCMP.
Police carried out the bust over four days from Oct. 28 to Oct. 31. Targeting taxi drivers in Lan Kwai Fong who covered their meters, the officers alighted the vehicles as passengers to various destinations.
The undercover officer who dressed as a Squid Game guard was charged HK$100 (US$12.90) for a ride from Central to Happy Valley, a trip that normally would cost closer to HK$50 (US$6.40). The cop arrested the driver after he paid the inflated fare and revealed himself to be a police officer.
Another driver was arrested for charging two undercover officers HK$200 (US$25.70) for a ride from Central to Siu Sai Wan when the trip should have been about HK$120 (US$15.45), SCMP reported.
In a statement, police said the four drivers aged 35 to 64 were arrested on suspected charges of overcharging, not activating the taxi meter and failing to display a taxi license. They have been released on bail and must report back to police in mid-November.
Taxi drivers overcharging passengers leaving nightlife areas like Lan Kwai Fong and Wan Chai is common in Hong Kong, taking advantage of revelers—some no doubt intoxicated—desperate to get home after a night out.
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