Details emerge on Chinese military impostors in prison break scam

Chinese media shed more light on the details behind an impressive scam that saw five men attempting to pass themselves off as decorated military officers in order to rescue their imprisoned accomplice.

The five men, dressed in full military attire, brazenly entered a police bureau in Shandong and started negotiating with officers last month, but were soon busted by the police officials after arousing their suspicions. Video clips captured by CCTV and a police official at the scene were aired by state broadcasters, revealing almost the entirety of their interactions with the police officers.

Zhou Changsheng, who was in the role of “secret military tsar” in the sting, told the New Express Daily that he had orchestrated the entire drama so he could set up a charitable organisation.

“I tried to rescue him [the imprisoned accomplice] so I could acquire a starting fund,” Zhou said in explaining what had prompted him to rescue his crooked colleague. “I know he’s got a sum of money.”

“My ultimate goal is to devote myself to philanthropy causes,” Zhou added in an interview with the Daily.

He conceded that he had lied to one young member about the criminal bent of the organisation, but insisted he had disguised the group as a real military institution because he wanted to build up a team using militarised management.