Patrolling armed paramilitary police have been reassuring Qingdao residents terrified by talk of random murders committed by a gang seeking the release of its leader.
'People are saying the gang has killed over 100 people,' said a recent visitor. 'No one goes out at night.' But a police spokesman said: 'It is all lies. The security bureau chief went on television to refute the rumours.' In April, British engineer David Earle was found dead in a flat in the Shandong city. He was apparently suffocated during a robbery.
After police detained a suspect, thought to be a gang boss, his followers were said to have gone on a killing spree to force police to release him.
'The latest threat is that they were going to kill children,' said an Asian businessman who lives in Qingdao. He said the gang was from the northeast, where growing unemployment had fostered a crime wave.
'It has been quieter since the police announced they were going to control the problem,' the man said. 'But when the police chief went on TV he offered no details and this told us that something is really wrong.' Another businessman, Liu Dianzhun, said fears had eased after police started patrolling streets at night.
'I think the threat was more rumour than truth. A few gangsters were just trying to make some money,' he said.
