236: Online discussion

To thoroughly investigate all criminal facts of this gang, the public security organs are now openly soliciting clues about the gang's illegal and criminal activities from the entire society, and urging those involved who are at large to surrender themselves.

"It's really posted! They even used terms like 'criminal gang', 'forced transactions', and 'extortion' to define it!" Lin Xiaoya leaned in to look and said excitedly, "It seems that Director Li moved quite fast!"

Tony also quickly took out his phone to search: "Let me see, let me see! Oh! It's really on the news!"

Su Qing and Su Ya also gathered around, their faces showing expressions of anticipation.

They naturally hoped that those who bullied them would receive their due punishment.

Lei Jun also took out her phone and calmly browsed through the full text of the announcement.

"It's just the beginning."

She set her phone aside.

The announcement only signaled an attitude and the start of a procedure; the real test lay in the subsequent investigation, evidence collection, and final handling results.

However, the reaction this announcement triggered in society far exceeded theirs, and perhaps even exceeded Director Li's expectations.

In the era of the internet, the speed and breadth of information dissemination are staggering.

This blockbuster police announcement from a popular tourist city, involving forced buying and selling and threats to tourist safety, instantly ignited emotions across the entire network.

The trending search lists were almost entirely taken over by related topics, climbing at rocket speed.

#Sanya Police Strike Hard Against Illegal Diving Photo Gangs#

#What to Do When Encountering Forced Transactions While Diving in Lover's Bay#

#Exposing Sanya's Brother Crow Jin Lihong's Criminal Gang#

#Tourist's Self-Account of Terrifying Experience Having Mask Removed#

#Can the Rectification of Sanya's Tourism Chaos Start From Here?#

Every topic was followed by the word "Explosive" or "Hot," and the level of discussion was unprecedentedly high.

Clicking into these topics, the comments from netizens were also surging like waves.

"That year in Sanya, because I didn't take photos while diving, they almost killed me. The dive buddy seemed to release the air from something. I just heard a hiss and I kept sinking. I felt like my eardrums were being crushed. I almost passed out from the pain. These scumbags really aren't human!"

"Removing the oxygen mask??? This is fucking murder! It's an act of terrorism! Taking a life for a few hundred bucks? Scum like this deserve the death penalty!"

"Finally someone exposed it. When I went diving, I didn't have my mask removed for a sales pitch, but what I encountered was them pushing my head hard into the seawater. I was very scared at the time. Before I could adapt, they forced me into the water. Then they asked what package I wanted to buy. I finally chose a 580 yuan one before they let go of my head. When I came up, water had choked my nose and it was bleeding [crying]"

"As a Sanya local, I feel both angry and ashamed seeing this! It's these black sheep who have ruined Sanya's good reputation! I support a thorough investigation and crackdown! It's best to uproot the protective umbrella behind them! Otherwise, a different group will just take over after a while!"

"Did you see the payment nickname 'Sanya Brother Crow'? Arrogant to the extreme! It's practically writing 'I am the underworld' on his face! If this kind of person isn't severely punished, it's a violation of heavenly justice!"

"The announcement says they're soliciting clues. Does that mean many people reported it before but it was useless? It's terrifying to think about... I hope this time it's not all bark and no bite."

"Regardless of the reason behind it, the fact that the police can now come out with an announcement and solicit clues is progress! I hope they can truly clean it up this time and give an account to all tourists who have been to or will go to Sanya! Otherwise, who would dare to go play?"

"Am I the only one with a weird focus? To be able to bring down a Deputy Director, who exactly did this gang offend? Curious.jpg"

Under every highly-liked comment, there were tens or even hundreds of thousands of replies. Netizens shared their own bad experiences, whether heard of or personally experienced, expressing hatred for the criminal acts and hope for the improvement of the tourism environment.

Public opinion showed a one-sided trend of condemnation.

In the past, after many tourists encountered similar things, because they were in a strange place and unfamiliar with the area, and the amount of loss might not have been particularly huge, they feared trouble and retaliation. Most chose to swallow their anger and suffer in silence.

The few who were unwilling and reported it to the police often ended up with nothing because of insufficient evidence or the other party having local connections, or they might even face more subtle threats.

Over time, many victims could only bury this unpleasant experience in their hearts.

But now, the situation was completely different!

The police had issued a high-profile announcement, making a clear stand for a crackdown and openly soliciting clues from the entire society!

This gave the former victims immense courage and hope.

They realized they were not isolated cases, but victims of an organized criminal gang.

They saw that this time, the police seemed to be serious.

They believed that standing up now might actually bring justice and prevent more people from being victimized.

Thus, a spontaneous wave of evidence-giving began.

The tip-off hotline announced by the Sanya police was busy with calls, and the tip-off email inbox was stuffed with a massive volume of emails.

On major social media platforms, posts with hashtags like #JinLihongGang# and #ScammedWhileDivingInSanya# popped up like bamboo shoots after rain.

More and more victims chose to stand up and speak out:

Some gave detailed accounts of their experiences on Weibo, attaching photos of the diving site environment and blurry images of the instructors taken at the time.

Some posted long articles on RED, reviewing the entire process of being scammed to warn other tourists to avoid the traps.

Some posted videos on TikTok. Although they didn't dare show their faces, they used voice changers to tell their stories and showed screenshots of the forced transfers... The most powerful evidence was those payment records.

Many people showed mobile payment screenshots. The recipient names were varied, but nicknames with clear indications like "Sanya Brother Crow," "Baldy," and "Hong-ge Diving" appeared frequently.

The transfer amounts ranged from 560 to 880 to 1280 yuan, with the timeframe spanning from several years ago to the last few months.

The cold transfer records were like heavy hammer blows, striking the public's nerves and constituting ironclad evidence of the Jin Lihong gang's criminal facts.

Furthermore, insiders in the tourism industry or diving enthusiasts anonymously leaked information to the media, revealing deeper inside stories.

Many of the diving sites operated by the Jin Lihong gang were "black diving sites" that had not obtained the "High-Risk Sports Operation Permit" at all. Their equipment was old, and safety measures were virtually non-existent.

Their habitual method was to attract tourists with "ultra-low-price experience packages." Once the tourists were in the water, they would use their control over the environment and underwater communication to create psychological panic.

For instance, they would intentionally take tourists to deep water areas or remote corners, or directly perform the action of removing the mask, forcing tourists to accept high-priced value-added services like photos and videos. In essence, they were using tourists' concerns for safety to conduct psychological kidnapping and forced transactions.

These pieces of information and evidence from all directions converged in the hands of the special task force established by the Sanya police. The quantity and the malicious nature of the details were shocking even to veteran criminal police who had handled cases for many years.