An empty case for a Cartier watch found in the van after the fire.

A man has been detained in connection with an alleged fraud involving goods worth over 7 million yuan (US$1 million) after a van caught fire in the Pudong New Area.

Police launched an investigation after the vehicle was engulfed in flames next to the XuelinRoad Station on Metro Line 13 at 7:40am on March 22. The fire was extinguished and no one was injured.

Inside police found the remains of deliveries from an Internet mall but all the packages appeared to have been opened.

The van belonged to a mansurnamedJu, who said he had parked there at 7am and then left. It was being used by his friend, he told police, a mansurnamedMei, a deliveryman for the Internet mall, but said he knew little about Mei’s work.

WhenMeiwas summoned by police, they told him all the packages in the van had invalid delivery addresses.

Meiappeared deeply shocked, police said, while Ju showed no emotion, which raised their suspicions.

Further investigations found it wasJuwho had ordered the items from the Internet mall withnon-existentaddresses and contact numbers, and thatJuwas often in the same van whenMeimade deliveries.

When confronted with their findings, police said, Juconfessed to the fraud.

He had opened all the packages in the van withoutMei’s knowledge and then set the vehicle on fire.

Police have recovered all the items taken from the packages, including 18 luxury watches, 92 expensive headsets, 22 luxury garments, a digital camera and 766 prepaid cards.

Ju is questioned by the police.