URUMQI - Authorities in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region said Monday they have rescued and sent back 191 vagrant Xinjiang children from other parts of the country.

Most of the children are aged between 10 and 18 and from Aksu, Kashgar, Hotan and Yili, according to the regional bureau of civil affairs.

Many of them were forced into stealing by criminal gangs after being conned to leave home for large- and medium-sized eastern cities on fake job offers.

In April, authorities in Xinjiang promised to find and bring home all native Xinjiang children in other parts of the country, some of whom are stealing or begging for a living.

The region has sent bilingual police, capable of speaking both Mandarin and Uygur, to public security authorities of other provinces to assist in the campaign.

The Ministry of Public Security also ordered police authorities nationwide to launch a crack-down on the kidnapping and coercing of Xinjiang children.

The efforts are aimed at helping the children resume normal lives and restore the region's reputation, as currently it is notorious as a source of young thieves and vagrants.

Once returned home, the children will be placed in government-run shelters that provide schooling and a safe environment, said Zhang Chunxian, the region's Communist Party chief, in April.