A criminal trio involved in kidnappings and robberies in several provinces have been apprehended by police in northern China's Hebei Province, the Ministry of Public Security said Friday.

On March 29, they kidnapped a resident of Lucheng District of the Wenzhou Municipality in eastern Zhejiang Province and demanded a 15 million yuan (around 2.29 million U.S. dollars) ransom, according to a ministry statement.

The ensuing 12-day manhunt consisted of police from several provinces and ended with the arrest of all three gang members on Tuesday night in Hebei Province, the statement said.

The kidnapped person from Zhejiang Province was safely rescued from the gang on April 4 in north China's Henan Province.

The police investigation indicated that the three criminal suspects had carried out several kidnappings and robberies of gold shops in various provinces. Money and property they had looted amounted to several million yuan, the ministry said.

Further investigation is underway, it added.

Xinhua