Police have captured two men suspected of stealing almost 51 million yuan ($6.6 million) in cash from the bank where they worked, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) said yesterday.

However, the arrests did little to resolve suspicions that other people must have been involved in the heist.

Soon after the arrest of 37-year-old Ma Xiangjing in Beijing on Wednesday, police announced that his accomplice, Ren Xiaofeng, 34, had been netted in Lianyungang, East China's Jiangsu Province yesterday.

The two men had worked as tellers at the Handan branch of the Agricultural Bank of China in Hebei Province.

They fled in a van after the bank discovered the theft last Saturday. They were immediately put on the country's most-wanted list as chief suspects.

Wu Heping, MPS spokesman, said police arrested Ren at a rented house in Liangyungang around 8 am yesterday.

And Ma was arrested in the Daxing District of Beijing on Wednesday afternoon outside the house he rented.

"Police have recovered some of the missing funds and are questioning the men," Wu said.

The Beijing News reported yesterday that police had found Ma with more than 600,000 yuan (about $78,000) in cash.

Ma said the two men had stolen the 51 million yuan in a series of thefts, the largest of which took place last Saturday, the report said.

Ma also said he had used some of the money to buy lottery tickets.

Sources with the Jiangsu provincial public security bureau said police had seized 3.4 million yuan when they arrested Ren, who allegedly "did not deny" committing the crime during initial questioning.

"This huge loss of funds has exposed major loopholes in crime prevention, especially regarding financial institutions," Wu said at a press conference.

"As the investigation continues, we will learn how the suspects succeeded, and we will try to mend the holes in our system," he said.

He added that he hoped the robbery would serve as a lesson to the financial sector.

The China Banking Regulatory Commission has sent a team to Handan to assist with the investigation.

The number of people involved in the case remains a mystery. The Yanzhao Metropolis Daily quoted local sources as saying that seven suspects, including Ren and Ma, were behind the robbery.

Other questions remained unresolved, with many people wondering how the two men had managed to carry off piles of cash in broad daylight. The robbery occurred at 2:00 pm.

Many also wondered why warrants for the two had been issued two days after the crime occurred.

Wu said the MPS is trying to retrieve the remaining money and would reveal the result of its investigation later.

Xinhua contributed to the story

Source: China Daily