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Chinese drink-driver’s cheeky fraud attempt backfires as police use hi-tech software to wipe the smile off his face

Suspect used his friend’s name and claimed to have undergone plastic surgery in bid to avoid punishment

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Police in southwestern China used facial recognition technology to identify this drink-driver after he tried to pass himself off as someone else. Photo: Handout

Police in southwestern China used facial recognition technology to identify a drink-driver who tried to pass himself off as his friend to avoid punishment, local media reported.

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The man, surnamed Zhou, was arrested in the Jiangbei district of Chongqing about 5am on Saturday morning by traffic police who were responding to reports of a parking dispute, Chongqing Economic Times reported on Monday.

“When we arrived at the scene we could smell alcohol on the man, though he denied he had been drinking,” an unnamed police officer was quoted as saying.

The suspect said his name was Fu Qiang, but was unable to produce an ID card or driving licence to support his claim, the report said.

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When police checked a database of registered drivers they found a record for Fu Qiang, but were puzzled by the fact the file photograph did not match the appearance of the suspect.

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