A policeman checks Moutai at a restaurant. [Photo/Zhengzhou Evening News]

Police in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan Province, have arrested 21 suspects, including 14 waiters at a local restaurant, for substituting their customers' genuine Moutai liquor with counterfeit versions, Zhengzhou Evening News reported.

On August 15, a restaurant owner surnamed Li tipped off police about the theft. For two months, waiters had been replacing expensive Moutai liquor that customers had brought to the restaurant, as well as that stored in the restaurant's warehouse.

Local police said 14 of the restaurant's 15 waiters were involved in the case, while the famed distilled Chinese liquor was worth approximately 650,000 yuan ($97,224).

According to Wang, a waiter at the restaurant, the stolen Moutai was resold for 450 yuan a bottle.

Three of the waiters, surnamed Dong, Liu and Chen, had bought cars and property with money made from the thefts. Even after they were arrested, their bank cards continued to see large amounts of money come in, the paper reported.

All suspects have pleaded guilty and further investigations are underway.