Chinese police apprehended a prostitution gang which smuggled women from China to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and saved 15 women, said the Ministry of Public Security Thursday.

According to the investigation in China, three suspects surnamed Zhuang, Yao and Li smuggled a number of women from southwest China's Sichuan Province to Kinshasa, the DRC capital, and forced them into prostitution at local clubs, said a ministry statement.

With the assistance from DRC authorities, police officers detained Zhuang and Yao in the DRC on Nov. 26 and returned them to China on Thursday, the statement said.

Li is still on the run, the statement added.