In Sichuan province, seven people were arrested by the police for allegedly stealing an 830 year-old ancient tree, and then selling it to a willing buyer.

How did the suspects manage to uproot the tree without getting noticed by the public? The police said the suspects dug up the crape myrtle on the night of October 10, 2013, and then sneakily transported it to Chengdu from Mianzhu.

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It happened so fast that people in the township failed to notice the heist even as the tree was considered one of the most popular trees in Hanwang. Crape myrtle is a flowering tree with multiple large flower panicles.

In Chengdu, a waiting buyer paid 290,000 yuan, or roughly US$46,500 for the tree that has been considered by the Hanwang Township a treasure.

The tree was resold twice for a final price of 880,000 yuan, the police said. The identities of the buyers have not been disclosed. The names of the suspects were not immediately released to the public.

The incident saddened residents in Hanwang Township, prompting authorities to launch a thorough investigation until the tree was rediscovered.

It was transported back to Hanwang on 26 March and was then replanted. The local government has allocated 40,000 yuan to maintain the tree and to make sure that no one will be able to steal it again.