Police have detained four people suspected of providing explosives to Jin Ruchao, a man who is blamed for causing the explosions that killed 108 people and injured 38 in north China city of Shijiazhuang on March 16.
Wang Yushun, Hao Fengqin and Hou Huaiying, farmers from the city of Luquan in Hebei Province, are accused of selling illegally produced explosives to Jin Ruchao on March 14 and earned illicit money of 980 yuan.
The three farmers illegally produced over 100,000 tons of explosives in Beibaisha Village under the disguise of manufacturing chemical fertilizer in April 2000. The explosives have been sold to several quarries, earning over 20,000 yuan, according to local public.
Hu Xiaohong, a person from Chongqing Municipality and working in Shijiazhuang, sold detonators and detonation fuses that he used in a quarry to Jin Ruchao in June 2000, said police.
After the March 16 explosions, Hebei Province has started a campaign to crack down on criminal acts involving explosives. So far, the police have interrogated 214 suspects, of whom, 15 have been arrested and 135 detained.
The police have also searched for explosives in various regions of the province, and hunted down suspects and their transport vehicles, while keeping records about the storage of explosive materials in the province to prevent the stealing and selling of explosives.
(Xinhua 04/01/2001)
