Chengdu Railway Public Security Bureau told the Legal Daily on Tuesday that 17 railway police officers have been arrested for colluding with thieves for money.

They have been accused of turning a blind eye to the activities of a 16-member gang active at Chengdu North Railway Station in southwest China's Sichuan Province between 2003 and early this year, even offering protection in return for money.

Since last June, the gang began to deposit money into the officers' bank accounts instead of giving them cash. Between December and January, more than 80,000 yuan (US$9,600) was deposited.

After the collusion was uncovered, nearly 240,000 yuan (US$29,000) was confiscated from the accused officers, and one of them was found to have over 1 million yuan (US$120,000) with no identifiable source, said Ren Xiaohua, a local railway police investigator.

The bureau said that a complaint letter from a serviceman, who had witnessed a thief hand his and another victim's wallets to an officer on January 10, led to their exposure. When challenged, the officer returned only his wallet and let the thief go.

The Chengdu railway police started an investigation and, on February 23, found that many officers were colluding with the gang, who were mainly from Yibin in Sichuan.

Wang Mou, the gang's alleged boss, started stealing at the station in the early 1990s. After offering bribes to four station police officers, he established the gang.

According to Wang, the gang offered a bribe of 400-600 yuan (US$48-72) each time they entered the railway station's lounge. Whenever a thief stole 500-1,000 yuan (US$60-121), they would give half the sum to the police.

After a thief was caught, the police would pretend to help the passenger, comforting them. But after the passenger left, they would destroy the record and let the thief walk away, Wang said.

As one of China's eight largest railway stations, Chengdu North Railway Station handles a daily average of about 70,000 passengers.

There are less than 110 railway police officers there, and though only 17 have been arrested, about 25 are thought to have been involved and are being investigated.

According to Xie Zhengdong, an information officer with Chengdu Railway Public Security Bureau, the police station has changed its chief.

Fifteen of the thieves have been caught, Xie said, with one still at large.

(China Daily May 25, 2005)