A former lawmaker in central China's Henan Province has been sentenced to death for raping over 20 underage girls, who were literally grabbed off the streets or in front of their school gates, a local newspaper reported on Wednesday.

The report says 61-year-old Wu Tianxi ordered three women, including a former victim and a school dropout, to kidnap the girls, who ranged in age from 12 to 16 years old, and take them by taxi to his properties, where he raped them.

Wu, who owns a large food processing business, was reportedly worried about his frail, aging body and declining wealth. Someone told him that sexual intercourse with virgin girls would bring him good health and fortune. Wu took the comment seriously, and began hunting down 100 virgins.

The Southern Metropolis News reported that on a single day in April last year, Wu kidnapped and raped five school girls.

Wu was given the death sentence and fined 500,000 yuan. Wu was also accused of fraud, illegal fundraising and land speculation, and of involvement with criminal gangs, the report said.

His accomplices were sentenced to jail terms from 6 months to 20 years in length.

Wu became a delegate to the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, in 1998 for successfully running a series of rural businesses that turned him into a model farmer. He also served as vice chairman of the Zhenping County Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, an advisory body.

(CRI January 16, 2008)