Tech company's offices raided by police

Uber’s offices in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou was raided last week by authorities.

Photos of the nighttime raid show officers of the police force, officials from the Guangzhou Public Security Bureau (PSB), the administration for industry and Commerce (AIC), and the municipal traffic commission confiscating phones and other equipment.

A local paper, the Guanghzou Daily, obtained photos of the Uber raid.

According to the paper, Uber is accused of running an “illegal” transport service. The US-based company, which first branched into China in 2013, is suspected to not have the proper qualifications to run a private care business in the city.

Reacting to the incident, an Uber representative said, “Uber prides itself on providing efficient and convenient transportation options for riders to get from point to point, helping cities reduce congestion pollution. We have maintained open channels of communications and are working closely with local authorities in cooperation.”

Uber (valued at $40 billion) operates in a legally gray area in most of the countries in which it branches out to – and in parts of its home country too.