A Hebei Province bank worker was arrested in Beijing yesterday, several days after he and another colleague allegedly disappeared with 51 million yuan (US$6.6 million) from the bank's vault.

The money was stolen on Saturday afternoon from the Handan branch of the Agricultural Bank of China.

Ma Xiangjing, 37, was arrested in Beijing yesterday, the central television reported, but provided no details how he was caught or whether any cash was retrieved.

Ren Xiaofeng, 34, the other suspect, was still at large, the report said. Both of them worked in the bank's cash storage vault.

Experts said that the 51 million in cash, even calculated with 100-yuan notes, would stand 51 meters high and weigh nearly 2 tons if piled up.

At least six sacks are needed to fetch it.

After the theft, the men were immediately listed as the class A most wanted suspects by the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) on Monday.

The MPS has offered a reward of 50,000 yuan (US$6,474) for anyone who can provide information that leads to the men's arrest. Police in Handan also offered 200,000 yuan (US$25,895) to solicit information.

(China Daily April 19, 2007)