Hidden camera porn gang busted in Beijing

Up-skirt videos from malls sold to websites

A gang of 15 people who used hidden cameras in walking sticks, buttons and mobile phones to film up women's skirts and then sold the videos to pornographic websites has been busted by Beijing police, China Central Television (CCTV) reported.

Targeting train stations, shopping malls and other crowded places, the suspects photographed and videoed women in short skirts, an undercover CCTV reporter and an unnamed Chaoyang district police investigator revealed.

The reporter and the police officer pretended to be sellers of micro-cameras and soon established contact with members of the gang, who showed off their secret skills for the profitable videos.

The group could earn as much as 1,000 yuan ($160) for a 10-minute video, according to the Tuesday morning CCTV show Life Morning Reference.

A man from the group calling himself "Dong Zi" told the undercover policeman and reporter that the less women wore, the higher the price.

Dong Zi deployed a high-definition rotating camera in a walking stick, with a control in the handle.

He took the reporter to a Beijing auto show on April 21, positioning the stick under the crotches of models and other women at the show.

The only woman in the group, who called herself "Hui Hui," placed her converted mobile phone with a hidden camera in fitting rooms at the mall, the CCTV program showed.

The group's leader contacted buyers at pornographic websites, the report said.

Websites pay 500 to 1,000 yuan for a 10-minute video, more if it captures the women's faces.

The offenders could receive up to 10 days' detention and a 500 yuan fine for secretly taking photos, but as they sold videos for profit, they most likely will also be prosecuted for disseminating pornography, Beijing-based lawyer Zhang Nan told the Global Times.

According to Chinese law, people who profit from making or spreading pornographic materials could face up to 10 years in jail if the offense is "serious," or involving a profit of 30,000-50,000 yuan.

If it is "extremely serious," or between 150,000 and 250,000 yuan, they could get a life term.

The police have issued a wanted notice for three other gang members on the run.