Guards held after couple tortured

Police in south China have detained six security guards for allegedly torturing a couple suspected of swindling for 13 hours and hiring three men to beat the husband after they were released.

The 21-year-old husband, Sun Xiaofei, is in the intensive care unit at Chang'an Hospital, with a life-threatening skull fracture and other injuries.

Police said the couple's medical fees will be covered by the Chang'an Township government in Dongguan City, Guangdong Province. They had caught two of the thugs and were still looking for the third, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported yesterday.

Sun and his wife Wang Qing were arrested last Wednesday after Wang had picked up some money she found on the road.

They were taken to the public security bureau but soon released for lack of evidence.

However, the civil security force compelled them to stay in two separate rooms at their office, urging them to tell the truth.

Sun was ordered to do push-ups and was beaten with batons and belts. Wang was forced to undergo intimate physical checks.

The couple were released after 13 hours but Sun was then attacked by the three men.

With over one million residents, the township has only 400 police officers and hires security guards as a supplement.

Guards can get an award if a criminal confesses which can encourage the use of torture, a police officer said.

By Zhang Xuanchen