Shenzhen police have cracked an online theft involving export quotas worth more than 3 million yuan (US$375,000).

It is the first of its kind in the city and possibly the first in China, the criminal investigation branch bureau of the Shenzhen Municipal Public Security Bureau announced yesterday.

Two suspects, cousins both surnamed Zhan, were caught Oct. 27, one month after the theft was reported to police. Another suspect surnamed Liu is still at large, said Diao Guangdong, head of Team One of the branch bureau.

The victim, a Shenzhen export and import company, reported to the police Sept. 27 that its textile export quotas granted by the Ministry of Commerce had been stolen online.

Investigations showed there had been applications to the Ministry of Commerce for the "electronic key," or password, to the cyber export quotas in the name of the export and import company July 25. They received the password July 31 and sold the stolen export quotas for fabrics to import and export agents in Shenzhen through online transactions.

Some of the agents that bought the quotas have already used them to export fabrics, police said.

Police arrested the two suspects at a housing estate in Buxin in Luohu District on Oct. 27.

Another suspect Liu, who is still at large, used to work in the import and export trade and was very familiar with quota application procedures, the police said.

The two suspects admitted that they, along with Liu, earned 600,000 yuan from the sale of the quotas.

Some of the companies that bought the quotas have been identified, and the police are considering whether these companies should be charged.

Diao, the head of the criminal investigation team, said there might be other online thefts that haven't yet been reported. "People may think we can't solve the case, or that the money stolen is not a big sum but we hope they will report any thefts to us," he said.

Editor: Yan