A senior government official with China's Ministry of Land and Resources said Monday China had a total of 9,832 illegal land use cases in the first quarter of this year, up 3.7 percent from the same period last year.

The cases concerned 73,000 mu (about 48.7 million square meters) of land, of which 26,000 mu was arable land, said Li Jianqin, an official in charge of law enforcement and supervision with the ministry.

To date, authorities have launched investigations into 3,760 cases covering 55,000 mu of land, Li said at a press conference held in Beijing.

Unlawful practices included local governments obtaining land through illegal means and illegal approvals for land use. The cases also involved illegal mining practices by some companies.

Li said authorities have launched investigations into 800 illegal mining cases that arose in the first quarter, up 3 percent year-on-year.