Two detained for stealing shared bikes in China

Two men in northern China's Hebei Province have been detained on suspicion of stealing two shared bicycles, police said Wednesday.

Police arrested the two, surnamed Tang and Huang, on Sunday in a factory in Gaocheng district in the provincial capital Shijiazhuang, after being reported by shared-bike operator Mobike.

Mobike employees found, through the positioning monitor, that the lock on one bike had been removed and the other one was being removed at the plant.

Tang and Huang told the police they loaded two Mobike bicycles on a pick-up truck in June and intended use the public bikes for private use by removing the locks.

A further suspect who helped with the theft has yet to be found.

The two will face criminal charges as the value of the bicycles is around 6,000 yuan (888 U.S. dollars).

According to Chinese criminal law, stealing items with a total of 1,000 yuan or more can lead to a prison sentence of up to three years, according to Zhai Yaxing, a lawyer in Shijiazhuang.

Further investigation is underway.