Chinese police have rescued 18 Vietnamese women who were allegedly kidnapped and sold as wives in remote villages, the public security department of Fujian Province said on Thursday.

Police in Yunxiao County, Fujian, found evidence of abductions while pursuing a criminal suspect in the village of Tongbei at the beginning of the year, said Zhou Qigui, a senior criminal investigation officer.

The women, aged 18 to 33, were sold for between 20,000 yuan (2,928 U.S. dollars) and 30,000 yuan each.

Yunxiao police rescued the first woman on June 30 and arrested a man surnamed Zhang in connection with her alleged abduction.

Zhou said Zhang and associates kidnapped the 18 women, who were working in Dongxing, a border city in the southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, after pretending to offer better jobs.

Police arrested four other people in connection with the alleged abductions. Police are still investigating the case.

(Xinhua News Agency November 27, 2008)