Dongguan official arrested for reported crazy land grab

GUANGZHOU: A top township official in Dongguan, Guangdong province, who allegedly illegally purchased about 77 percent of the land in his home village via extortion and other crimes, has been arrested with the approval from the city's procuratorate.

A press official with the city's procuratorate confirmed the arrest with China Daily yesterday.

Prior to his arrest, Li Peiqin, 54, was stripped of his post as a member of the Party committee of Huangjiang Town on the suspicion that he was guilty of a "severe disciplinary violation," reported Guangzhou-based Southern Metropolitan Daily.