A 17-year-old boy died suddenly after being held at a detention house for allegedly stealing bikes in Kaifeng City of Henan Province, a Henan newspaper reported.

The parents found bruises and nearly 20 black spots resembling those left by a burning cigarette across the boy's body, the newspaper said.

The parents believed the teenager had been beaten up by officers, according to the report.

But police told the parents the boy "died a sudden death."

On Tuesday, his father, Zhou Heping, 45, and mother, Zhang Haoyu, 43, was told by police and village officials in their hometown in Zhongmou County to have a talk.

They arrived at the police station only to be told their son had died.

The mother told the Orient Today newspaper that she scolded her son, Zhou Zengzhi in mid-November for arriving late for lunch. The boy left home.

On November 19, police called his father, saying his son had been detained for allegedly stealing 13 bikes.

The teenager was sent to the Kaifeng detention center on December 3.

No local officials commented on the boy's death, the newspaper said.

(Shanghai Daily December 15, 2007)