Police in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, helped local villagers get back a century-old bridge that was stolen by two suspects, local media reported on Aug 6.

The stone bridge, about 20 meters long and 2 meters wide, was stolen on July 11.

One of the suspects, surnamed Chen, needed money, the report said. He contacted a stone dealer and agreed to sell the bridge for 40,000 yuan ($6,531). Another suspect, surnamed Wang, rented Chen a 70-ton crane to remove the bridge and arranged two trucks to deliver the slab stones.

On Aug 1, police detained the suspects.

Police found the slab stones at a stone factory later on Aug 1 in Tongxiang, about 51 km northeast of the bridge's original location in Yanjiajiao village in Hangzhou.

Although there is no record of the bridge's age, an 85-year-old villager said that the bridge was there before he was born.