Chinese police have arrested 31 suspects in a major case of infringement of personal information, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) said Thursday.

Police in Liaoning, Beijing, Guangdong and Hunan have busted three rings that illegally obtained and sold citizens' personal information online. The suspects also forged bank cards with personal information and withdrew money with the cards, the MPS said.

A total of more than 2 billion items of personal information regarding transportation, logistics, health care, contacts and bank accounts were stolen by the suspects.

According to the MPS, a preliminary investigation showed that since the suspects formed gangs in 2015, they had illegally obtained and sold personal information including Internet accounts, passwords, ID card numbers, telephone numbers and addresses online.

The case is still under investigation, the MPS said.

A MPS official noted that cases of infringement of personal information are rampant. They severely damage personal privacy and lead to crimes such as telecom and Internet fraud.

Police authorities will maintain a tough crackdown on such crimes and protect citizens' legal rights and interests, the official said.

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