China puts school swindler on wanted list

BEIJING, Aug 8 (Reuters) Chinese police are hunting a woman accused of swindling 37 million yuan by promising students places in the country's ferociously competitive universities.

Yan Xiuling promised to open the door to top universities for students whose entrance exam scores were too low, said a police notice issued by the official Xinhua news agency yesterday.

Six hundred people fell victim to Yan, a symptom of the desperation of many Chinese parents bent on getting children into prestigious schools such as Peking University or Tsinghua University that promise the best jobs and high wages after graduation.

The police ''wanted notice'' did not explain how Yan cheated the victims.

China's university entrance exams are a major national event, with parents going to extremes to help children do well in the make-or-break test.

Reuters RC VP0440