Catapults, dead birds seized

Six people who used catapults to kill wild birds were detained by forestry police in Yiyuan county on Sunday. At least 20 dead birds, six catapults and a supply of steel balls were seized. The hunters said they were just having fun and did not know killing wild birds was illegal. Slaughtering more than 20 wild birds is a serious crime under Chinese law. A minor was released after being educated about the law, while the five adults would be appropriately punished, police said.

Gamer steals from neighbors

An unemployed online gamer from Xingtai, Hebei province, started breaking into farmers' homes in a mountainous area in Shandong province to support his 20,000-yuan monthly cyber-gaming habit, police said. He stole more than 100,000 yuan before being nabbed in mid-January.

Prostitute disturbs policeman

A 48-year-old woman from Inner Mongolia who offered to sell sex for 50 yuan was detained after propositioning a plainclothes policeman in Qingdao. The policeman went undercover after residents in the city's Licang district complained that about 30 prostitutes were standing in front of their houses and making provocative offers whenever single men passed by.