Another shoplifting group from the same country was busted on May 23.

Police seized five suspects in a store in East Nanjing Road and two accomplices at a hostel, where more than 400 items of clothing were seized.

"The suspects said they saw on TV that Shanghai is a commercial center with many large shopping malls."

It is not the first case of foreigners stealing clothes by using special bags.

In 2007, four women were caught stealing suits and dresses valued at more than 70,000 yuan at clothing store in Shanghai over two days.

A sales clerk at a Zara outlet in Huangpu said many clothing stores outsource work to security service companies.

The clerk said there are three security workers and 16 surveillance cameras in the store. "But more often we detect suspicious customers due to their unusual behavior and unnatural expressions," he said.

The clerk said the store has heard of new devices being used by thieves, such as tools that can detach the magnetic tags pinned on clothes to prevent shoplifting. But such offenders have never been caught.

Wu Ni contributed to this story.