The Independent Commission Against Corruption has arrested 22 people and shut down a syndicate believed to be behind an $18 million insurance scam involving staged labour injuries and traffic accidents in Hong Kong and the Mainland.

The arrestees included two serving and four former insurance agents, and a doctor.

The investigation arose from a corruption complaint alleging staff of various insurance companies had been bribed for processing fraudulent claims. Investigations found that a syndicate in Hong Kong allegedly recruited people, including serving and former insurance agents and doctors in Hong Kong and on the Mainland, to orchestrate injuries and accidents.

It was alleged the syndicate, with the help of the doctors, arranged to cause permanent eyesight loss to at least four Mainlanders, who were each offered or promised up to $300,000 reward.

It allegedly used the personal data of Hong Kong people to facilitate the claims in relation to those Mainlanders, and some employees of insurance companies had allegedly been offered monetary advantages for their assistance.

Over 130 genuine Hong Kong identity cards were seized in the operation. It is believed they were sold to the syndicate, and some were used for taking out insurance policies and opening bank accounts for money laundering.