The police of Dongguan in east China's Guangdong Province recently cracked a gang that had stolen more than 120 cars in nine months, a police spokesman said Saturday.

So far, 32 vehicles have been recovered.

Police received a tip early in June about a group of migrants from south China's Hunan Province that made a living in Houjie Street, Dongguan by stealing cars and selling them.

Following investigations, two alleged leaders of the group were arrested while playing mahjong in a residential estate on the afternoon of July 1. The arrest led to the arrests of another six people that evening. Police also detained 18 people suspected of selling the stolen cars.

Inquiries revealed that all 39 members of the gang were from a village in Hunan and eight key members were relatives.

The gang targeted relatively cheap vehicles and stole more than 120 of them in the Pearl River Delta region. The cars were then sent to a garage in Humen, Dongguan, for reconditioning before being resold.

The stolen vehicles were often parked on roadsides or at construction sites in suburban areas.

(Shenzhen Daily November 10, 2003)