Chinese police busted 1,488 criminal cases related to theft of crude oil, arresting 1,976 suspects in 2016, according the Ministry of Public Security Friday.
Among the suspects, 517 were suspects in other unsolved cases. Last year, the ministry launched campaigns targeting oil theft and new cases in 2016 decreased by 73 percent.
Rapid urbanization has resulted in reckless construction of buildings and roads within buffer areas for pipelines.
The network is threatened by theft through illegal siphoning.
Those who steal from pipelines receive severe punishments, including the death penalty, under Chinese law.
