183 arrested for South China pyramid scheme

NANNING- Police in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region have arrested 183 criminal suspects of an illegal fundraising gang.

Under the disguise of western development, the gang organized "one-day" trips to Qinzhou, Nanning, Beihai and Fangchenggang cities in Guangxi and coaxed their victims into investing, said the Public Security Bureau of Qinzhou City on Friday.

The pyramid-style scheme involved 3,000 people and 760 million yuan ($114 million), the bureau said.

Nearly 500 police officers raided 66 locations in the provinces of Henan and Guangdong, and Guangxi, it added. Twenty-five senior gang members were among those arrested and the group's bank accounts, which contained more than 10 million yuan, were frozen. Eight luxury cars were also seized.

The investigation continues.