Shanghai railway police have destroyed an underground gun-selling ring, arresting 32 suspects and confiscating 25 illegally produced guns, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

Police said they arrested two suspects on Nov. 8, 2006 on a train traveling between Chengdu in Sichuan Province and Hefei in Anhui Province. The two men were in possession of two illegal guns and 54 bullets when they were nabbed.

The two men confessed that they were planning to sell the guns in Huainan of Anhui Province and some guns had already been sold.

On Nov. 11, police arrested 11 people suspected of selling and purchasing illegal guns in Huainan.

The ministry said guns already sold in other places, including Zhengjiang and Shanghai, were recovered. But no details were given.

Private ownership of guns is forbidden in China. According to China's criminal law, the maximum penalty for illegally trading guns is death.

(Xinhua News Agency January 26, 2007)