BEIJING - Chinese police arrested 1,152 suspects for allegedly disclosing and illegally dealing personal information, the Ministry of Public Security said Friday.

Police busted 346 groups that engaged in telecommunications scams, kidnapping, blackmail and other crimes after illegally obtaining personal information, the ministry said.

The ministry said public security departments in 21 provincial-level regions, including Beijing and Hebei, united to crack down on the illegal trade of personal data on January 14, after amassing evidence.

Crimes involving the illegal sale and purchase of personal data have increased rapidly in recent years, said the ministry, adding that a national network for illegal private data trading has been established.

Within the network, insiders working for telecommunications firms, financial firms or other relevant departments steal and illegally sell personal data, which others then deal on the Internet.