Authorities in Yongcheng, Henan province are looking into allegations that a woman attempted to kill herself after organised extortion by road administration officials.
According to CCTV, truck owner Wen Li and her driver Guo Wanli were stopped by road management officers demanding a penalty for "exceeding the truck's axle loading limit" on November 14.
Guo told reporters that law enforcement and road management authorities in the area force drivers to buy "exemption tickets", essentially protection chits to avoid extortion while using the roads. Drivers must pay 3,000 yuan ($490) to road management authorities per year, and a further 3,000 yuan per month to the transportation authority or face random "penalties".
"They told us if we didn't have the 'tickets' we would be fined," Guo said.
After road and transportation authorities fired her even though she'd already bought the annual and monthly "exemption tickets", Wen drank pesticide in front of officers, who refused to take her to hospital. She was eventually transported there by an ambulance Guo called.
Wen survived the suicide attempt, and has now been discharged from hospital after two weeks of intensive medical treatment.
Speaking to CCTV, Gao Yongfu, head of the road administration bureau, denied forcing drivers to buy "exemption tickets".
Wen's family have been fined around 200,000 yuan ($32,800) since April.
"My sister only had about 300 yuan with her on that day. Scared by those penalties, she chose not to pay the money but commit suicide," Wen's brother Liu Huaizhou told the Global Times.
[Image via Flickr]
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