Twenty-six gang members who abused and forced underage teens from northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to steal money in the southern province of Guangdong were convicted of child abduction, theft, organizing mafia-style groups and murder.

The 26 from five crime groups, disguised as sellers of kebabs at food stalls in the city of Huizhou, tricked teenagers into the gangs by offering to help them find jobs. They forced them to steal money for them lest they would beat them, the Guangzhou Daily reported yesterday.

Six Uygur teenagers were rescued by police and were sent back to their hometowns.

Amir, leader of one of the groups, was sentenced to death. The 41-year-old Amir, who is disabled with a leg injury, used the stalls selling mutton kebabs as a front to hire juveniles from his hometown in Xinjiang to steal money for him in Huizhou.

Amir ordered his gang members to beat a teen who sought to flee back his home in November 2009. The teenage boy died after he was beaten up by the gangsters. His body was dumped into a river.

The investigation found that Amir raked in 108,000 yuan (US$16,930) in just 20 days in April. Amir also monopolized the kebab market in Huizhou by driving others out of the business.

In the campaign against the gangs, police confiscated 3.7 kilograms of jewelry and 200-plus mobile phones they stole from others.