Five people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in an illegal online arms trading network in northern China's Hebei Province.
The arrests were made after involvement of two suspects, whose online firearms trading had caught the attention of Chinese police in July last year, was confirmed, police said.
The identification of the duo surnamed Liang and Ji from Xingtai City subsequently led to the arrests of the five people, police added.
The five have been allegedly manufacturing guns and gun components such as bolts, triggers and barrels with the intent to sell them illicitly online, state-run Xinhua news agency reported today.
Liang is suspected of having made more than 2,000 online transactions, netting more than USD 220,360 via Alipay, the online payment provider.
The distribution network could have spread to as many as 30 provinces and cities in China including Beijing and Shanghai, with evidence indicating that some items were sent from Taiwan and the US, the report said.
More than 500 people are involved in the case, police said.
