Police in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region confirmed Saturday that they have detained five suspects for selling a large sum of counterfeit money.
Police conducted a sting operation last week while the suspects were making the deal. Two of the suspects threw the money on the street as they tried to escape from the police.
Li Zhenyu, a police officer involved in the case, said the scattered money created temporary chaos on the street. However, passersby helped retrieve 60,000 yuan (9,600 U.S. dollars) in counterfeit cash after police shouted that the money was fake.
Police seized another 340,000 yuan in counterfeit money from the suspects' car.
The money was transported by the sellers from east China's Anhui Province. The buyers intended to use the cash in marketplaces in Urumqi.
The case is still under investigation.
Copyright ©1999-2011 Chinanews.com. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
