Shanghai Daily | 上海日报 -- English Window to China News

A HIGH-RANKING member of the Qing’an County Public Security Bureau in Heilongjiang Province has been detained for allegedly hiring two people to attack the county’s chief prosecutor.

Chief prosecutor Zhao Degui was attacked after four policemen were arrested for allegedly extorting confessions through torture and causing a suspect to die eight years ago, Beijing News reported today.

Zhang Guangfu, the vice director of the bureau, was the leader of the four policemen, the newspaper said.

Zhao suffered a severe head injury after being assaulted while taking a walk on a busy street on August 31.

Wang Jing, a store owner, heard the noise and saw Zhao getting beaten by two young men in the afternoon that day, according to the report.

He head was bleeding and he couldn't get up, Wang told the newspaper.

Wang called 110 but no one answered the phone. She then called first aid and an ambulance arrived after five minutes, the report said.

Wang talked with Zhao, who refused to reveal his identity at that time. Zhao later said he didn't dare reveal his identity because he was afraid of more attacks, the report said.

Police offered a 100,000 yuan (US$14,706) reward for tips in the case.

The investigation team finally caught a break in the case, which made them believe Zhang was the chief suspect.

Zhang allegedly told one of the men he hired to beat Zhao that he didn’t beat him hard enough for the amount he charged, according to the report. Police caught this man, who admitted he was hired by Zhang to attack prosecutor Zhao.

Some sources said Zhang paid each man 30,000 yuan for the attack, but the newspaper failed to confirm the report.

Police allege Zhang bought four cell phones before the crime for contacting and hired two men who had just been released from the prison in the neighboring city to take action.

Zhang since confessed he was angry that Zhao had caught his four policemen and that the prosecutor had disputes with his boss, the report said.

Zhang's three relatives including his sister and nephew were also caught for their alleged involvement in the case.

The torture case of the four policemen will be heard in court on November 24, the report said.