The Procuratorate of Suzhou city in east China's Anhui Province have started investigations against eight people involved in a college entrance exam scam, sources said on Saturday.

The eight officials included the former director Xu Yunfeng of the recruitment office of Dangshan County Educational Bureau and his deputy, who were accused of abusing authority and taking bribes. Xu's elder brother, wife and brother-in-law were also being investigated.

The others were three police officers in Dangshan county, the sources with the procuratorate said.

Xu Yunfeng allegedly confessed to police on June 8 that he took bribes worth 24,000 yuan (US$3,157 ) from teachers and gave 747 unqualified people permission certificates to attend the national exam on June 7 and 8.

Xu disappeared when investigators decided to transfer him to judicial authorities for prosecution.

Police in Dangshan have arrested four people, who were found to have offered 41 college students in Hefei, capital of Anhui, 1,000 yuan each to take the exam.

But most of the college students failed to attend the exam as they had heard that police were alerted to the scam.

Xu was sacked and stripped of Party membership on June 23.

(Xinhua News Agency September 17, 2007)