40 arrested in China human trafficking bust, 22 children rescued

40 arrested in China human trafficking bust, 22 children rescued

2011-05-12 20:02:10 GMT+7 (ICT)

BEIJING, CHINA (BNO NEWS) -- Chinese authorities on Thursday announced the arrest of 40 criminal suspects linked to large-scale child abduction cases and the rescue of 22 kidnapped children.

Su Tonghui, 30, and other members of a human trafficking ring were arrested by local authorities after being caught kidnapping children in southwest China's Yunnan Province and selling them in southeast Fujian Province, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

China's Ministry of Public Security said over 200 police force members were deployed in Yunnan Province and Fujian Province on Wednesday to conduct the operation against the gang members. The cases involving the 22 rescued children are still under investigation.

In addition to Tonghui, among other major suspects in the bust were 28-year-old Su Tonglin, 43-year-old Mao Xingkai and 25-year-old Pu Jingcong.

In April 2009, China launched a campaign to crack down on kidnapping and human trafficking, and .as of March 14, police have rescued more than 13,000 abducted children and 23,000 women.

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