The two detainees, Fu Quanzhi and Ge Xiurong, were caught in the act of producing fake certificates on June 3 in a rented residence in Chaoyang District, said a spokesman for the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau on Sunday.

Police found 92 kinds of certificates and raw materials for their manufacture at their residence.

The fake certificates confiscated by police include citizen ID, student ID, diplomas from prestigious Chinese universities, marriage certificates, divorce certificates and various business licenses.

Fu and Ge said that work units have become stricter about the health conditions of their employees, due to the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic, and many people have bought counterfeit health cards from Fu and Ge, knowing full well they are fake.

Public security departments have warned local work units to be on the lookout for job seekers holding counterfeit health cards.

The investigation is in progress.

(People's Daily June 9, 2003)