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5 detained for stealing trees for factory fuel

2014-04-24 16:25 Shanghai Daily Web Editor: Si Huan
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Five men, including a factory owner, were detained for cutting down mature trees planted for public landscaping and erosion prevention to use as fuel for a factory in Qingpu district, Shanghai.

Police received a report on April 4 from a greenery maintenance company that said 37 espino trees along the Shangda River in Qingpu's Xujing town were cut down and stolen, causing losses of 40,000 yuan (US$6.412).

Four suspects caught by police on April 10 were employees of a local factory. According to the suspects, the factory owner ordered them to cut down the trees on March 25 and ferry them back to the factory on a boat to use as fuel for boilers. Half of the stolen trees already had been burned by the time police arrived.

The factory owner turned himself in on April 21.

According to the greenery company, the trees were over a decade old and over 10 meters tall. They served as landscaping and helped prevent soil erosion.

The case is still under investigation and additional punishment is expected to be handed out.

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