Four people suspected of stealing 200 dogs in Zhejiang province have been detained, Modern Jinbao reported on Tuesday.

One of the suspects, surnamed Zhang, confessed the four had stolen more than 200 dogs in the Zhenhai and Jiangbei districts of Ningbo, and sold them to a local market, according to the report.

The police said the four had been convicted and imprisoned for stealing sheep before, but continued stealing after they left prison, adding the dog buyers are also under investigation, the report said.

"The suspects learned how to call to dogs in other provinces and mainly stole dogs from rural areas," the paper quoted the police as saying, adding the group committed the thefts between 1 am and 2 am.