OSAKA ¨C The Osaka Prefectural Police have arrested two Vietnamese men for allegedly converting e-bikes into throttle-equipped electric mopeds that require a driver¡¯s license, in violation of the road traffic law.
The two suspects had accepted orders for about 170 such conversions over the past three years after soliciting customers through social media, generating about ?4 million in revenue, the police said Friday.
The suspects, including company employee Nguyen Thanh Tai, 27, have admitted to the allegations, telling investigators they wanted to earn more money for living expenses and remittances to their families.
Specifically, they are suspected of conspiring with three Vietnamese women between January and February to fit three electric-assist bicycles with throttles that allowed them to run solely on motor power without pedaling.
The police referred the three women to prosecutors for allegedly riding the modified bicycles in violation of the law.
Although the modified vehicles look almost identical to ordinary e-bikes, their speed is reportedly about twice as fast, reaching about 30 kilometers per hour.
To attract customers, the Vietnamese men had been promoting the conversions by posting videos on social media.
The police uncovered the activities online and decided to pursue criminal charges, citing the significant safety risks posed by the modified vehicles.
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