VietNamNet Bridge - Thu Duc District and District 9 have become the first two districts in HCM City to allocate police in each ward to deal with the recent series of incidents involving nails being scattered onto streets.

The city has experienced scam puncture repairers strewing nails across major streets in order to charge exorbitant prices to fix flat tires, especially during the recent Lunar New Year holiday. (VietNamNet Bridge posted a photo story about this last week).

The scammers often charge VND75,000-80,000 (US$3.7-4) for the repairs, well over the normal price of VND10,000-15,000 (US$0.5-0.75) for puncture patching.

People's committees in each ward were responsible for the upkeep and management of the streets in the wards, and chairmen would be blamed for the issue, said the deputy chairman of the Thu Duc People's Committee Huynh Thanh Nhan.

In related news, Binh Duong Province’s police have raided three motorbike repair shops, seizing many handmade pointed steel objects meant to be scattered on streets as a scam to charge people exorbitant prices to fix their flat tires.

The police detained 5 people involved in the scam and seized nearly 300 such home-made steel nails.

On the morning of February 13 local police followed up a suspect who rode a motorbike around many streets after leaving a motorbike repair shop on Binh Duong highway. Police found more than 200 star-shaped steel pieces hidden under the motorbike seat of the driver, named Pham Van Canh.

Examining the suspect’s motorbike repair shop, police seized 65 such metal objects. His wife attempted to throw away two metal cutting pliers used to make such steel pieces but the police busted her and confiscated the pincers.

At another shop nearby, also owned by Canh, police seized two more metal cutting pliers and a number of motorbike tires and tubes pierced by steel pieces. The police detained the man who was entrusted by Canh to manage the shop.

Raiding another motorbike repair shop, the police detained the owner after catching him attempting to flush nails down the toilet.

Shortly after the three shops were raided, some other motorbike repairers in the area have closed their shops.

To encourage the public to take part in eliminating crime, the local authorities have offered reward for any individual who detects those involved in making or scattering nailse roads.