SHIJIAZHUANG - Police in North China's Hebei province busted two groups responsible for discharging toxic waste, with one responsible for the death of a restaurant owner.

Twenty-seven suspects who dumped more than 3,400 tonnes of toxic waste were arrested and 20 companies were implicated as local procurators prepare a lawsuit, a spokesperson with the provincial public security department said.

On May 18, 2015, the owner of the restaurant near a parking lot in Lixian county, Baoding city died after inhaling poisonous gas from his kitchen sewer. Investigations found that the parking lot operator allowed illegal dumping of waste liquids, such as acid, in the lot.

The police first broke up a gang responsible for dumping waste at the lot on May 17 and 18. But investigations found they were not involved in the restaurant owner's death.

Later, the police captured another group of people who dumped waste acid at different venues in the county, including the parking lot, between August, 2014, and May, 2015, and identified their waste was the cause of death.

The spokesperson said Hebei has increased efforts to crack down on polluters. In 2015, 2,025 people were arrested for environmental pollution.