Chinese police crack down on railway pickpockets, fraudsters

BEIJING, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese police have captured 1,642 criminal suspects amid an offensive against illegal activities on trains and around railway stations, including robbery, pickpocketing and fraud, said the Ministry of Public Security.

Railway police nationwide have beefed up patrols and tightened security checks at major railway stations.

During this year's campaign, police have solved 3,132 cases and busted 24 criminal gangs, said the ministry, adding that the cases involved a total value of almost 42.5 million yuan (about 6.6 million U.S. dollars).

With the help of big data analytics, railway police in Shanghai have cracked 458 cases, seized 286 suspects and helped passengers recover more than 1 million yuan in economic losses this year.