Chinese police have caught 24 suspected thieves who targeted tourists viewing the daily flag-raising ceremony in Tian'anmen Square here.
Police received complaints from several tourists who claimed that their property was stolen while watching the flag-raising ceremony, a popular patriotic and tourist activity in China.
In one such case police caught 10 suspects using surveillance videos.
Hundreds of local and foreign tourists attend the flag raising ceremony both morning and evening at the square.
Police found that an over 20-member gang had worked together to steal various items from flag-raising ceremony viewers near the square since May, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Each member had a specific role, such as brushing against the target in the crowd, stealing mobile phones or wallets, or transferring the stolen goods to another gang member.
After a month-long investigation, more than 100 plain clothes officers launched an operation and caught 24 suspects.
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