Eleven members of a Chinese family staged 23 marriages in two weeks in a scam to get free housing, according to state media.
Officials were offering 40-square-metre flats to residents in a village near Lishui in eastern Zhejiang province, where homes were being demolished to make way for an urban renewal project.
CNN reports that when a man called Pan heard about the compensation scheme, he swiftly re-married his ex-wife who lived in the village in order to qualify. He then divorced her again six days later.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Soon, the family were performing more marriages. Pan married his sister and her sister-in-law, ultimately registering three marriages at the Ministry of Civil Affairs three times in just one week.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Get your first six issues for £6–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Then his father married several relatives, including his own mother. After each wedding, they registered as residents of the village, before filing for divorce. The Daily Mail says the “cunning” family “got into the act for a total of 23 weddings and divorces”.
However, the committee overseeing the village’s redevelopment eventually noticed what was happening and filed a complaint with police.
People’s Daily reports that all 11 members of the family have been arrested for alleged fraud. Four were detained, with others released on bail, as authorities continue to investigate the incidents.
The authorities ruled that though Chinese civil law does not limit the number of marriages and divorces an individual is entitled to, the family’s actions were illegal because they were used to defraud the government.
The impudence of the family has been widely commented upon on social media. “Even screenwriters would not dare to create a plot like this,” wrote one person on Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter.
Another remarked: “There are obviously loopholes in the system. Can you just blame the family for being greedy?”
-
August 24 editorial cartoonsCartoons Sunday's political cartoons include Putin at Donald Trump's circus, gallons of whitewash, and a foldable cartoon
-
5 Post Office-approved cartoons about mail-in votingCartoons Artists take on reverse logic, Putin's election advice, and more
-
The battle of the weight-loss drugsTalking Point Can Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly regain their former stock market glory? A lot is riding on next year's pills
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weaponsThe Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarrayIn the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
