China's Official Investigates 'Ghost Takeout'; Pinduoduo Employee Eats A4 Paper to Destroy Evidence
China's State Administration for Market Regulation fined seven e-commerce platforms, including Pinduoduo, a total of 3.597 billion yuan for operating 'ghost takeout' services. Pinduoduo received the highest fine of 1.522 billion yuan. During the investigation, a Pinduoduo employee reportedly ate A4 paper with 'silence' written on it to obstruct evidence.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 20, 2026 at 18:22
- 🔍 Collected: April 20, 2026 at 18:31 (9 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 20, 2026 at 21:11 (2h 39m after Collected)
BEIJING, April 20 (CNA) - China's State Administration for Market Regulation announced administrative penalties on April 17 against seven e-commerce platforms, including Pinduoduo, for 'ghost takeout' cases. The platforms were ordered to rectify their illegal practices and fined a total of 3.597 billion yuan (approximately 16.8 billion NT dollars). Pinduoduo, with a fine of 1.522 billion yuan, topped the list.
According to the 'China Quality News,' a newspaper under the administration, Pinduoduo obstructed law enforcement during the investigation. The report detailed that on December 3, 2025, Pinduoduo refused to provide relevant evidence, and an employee deliberately forced the door shut, resulting in a project team enforcement officer suffering a fractured left index finger and a sprained right ankle.
On the night of December 4, 2025, when the project team went for an on-site investigation, Pinduoduo's security manager allegedly lost control, stormed into the investigation scene with a group of people in front of the police and the project team, pushing and pulling enforcement officers, leading to a violent incident where another officer sustained a head injury and was hospitalized.
According to the report, on December 5, the project team, along with the police and market supervision departments, investigated Pinduoduo regarding the previous day's violent resistance to law enforcement. At that time, a Pinduoduo employee had written 'silence' and 'don't say' on an A4 paper to remind another questioned employee, and was caught red-handed by the project team.
Shockingly, the Pinduoduo employee then crumpled the A4 paper and ate it in front of everyone present.
'Ghost takeout' refers to businesses operating on e-commerce platforms without obtaining a food business permit, by means such as renting licenses, using fake addresses, or fabricating store photos. This time, Chinese authorities targeted 'ghost shops' that subcontracted low-priced cake delivery orders, leading consumers to purchase inferior cakes with food safety concerns at high prices. (Editor: Chiu Kuo-chiang/Chou Yung-chieh) 1150420
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According to the 'China Quality News,' a newspaper under the administration, Pinduoduo obstructed law enforcement during the investigation. The report detailed that on December 3, 2025, Pinduoduo refused to provide relevant evidence, and an employee deliberately forced the door shut, resulting in a project team enforcement officer suffering a fractured left index finger and a sprained right ankle.
On the night of December 4, 2025, when the project team went for an on-site investigation, Pinduoduo's security manager allegedly lost control, stormed into the investigation scene with a group of people in front of the police and the project team, pushing and pulling enforcement officers, leading to a violent incident where another officer sustained a head injury and was hospitalized.
According to the report, on December 5, the project team, along with the police and market supervision departments, investigated Pinduoduo regarding the previous day's violent resistance to law enforcement. At that time, a Pinduoduo employee had written 'silence' and 'don't say' on an A4 paper to remind another questioned employee, and was caught red-handed by the project team.
Shockingly, the Pinduoduo employee then crumpled the A4 paper and ate it in front of everyone present.
'Ghost takeout' refers to businesses operating on e-commerce platforms without obtaining a food business permit, by means such as renting licenses, using fake addresses, or fabricating store photos. This time, Chinese authorities targeted 'ghost shops' that subcontracted low-priced cake delivery orders, leading consumers to purchase inferior cakes with food safety concerns at high prices. (Editor: Chiu Kuo-chiang/Chou Yung-chieh) 1150420
Choose to stand with the facts. Every sponsorship you provide is a force for defending press freedom.
Download the CNA 'One News' APP for real-time updates.
Text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, transmitted, or utilized without authorization.