Elderly woman caught running off with experimental corn; others questioned

After a crop of test corn valued at 10 million yuan ($1.5 million) was stolen from Hunan Agricultural University, the head of the school's publicity department said on Tuesday that the school will work with the local government to enhance security and educate the public about the value of scientific fieldwork.

On Saturday afternoon, about one-third of the crop from a 0.13-hectare cornfield at the school's agricultural test field in Yanxi, northeastern Hunan province, was stolen. The lost corn included 1,725 samples of a new variety that was being used for educational and research purposes, Liu Qiding, head of the publicity department of the university, said in an interview.

Local police are searching surrounding towns and villages to recover the corn, the Yanxi government said online on Monday. So far, around 100 corncobs have been returned, and there are no signs the corn is being sold, it said.