Three auxiliary policemen in Yingde have been detained on suspicion of blackmailing a prostitute, Southern Farmers' Daily reported on Tuesday.

One of the officers is said to have caught the woman engaging in prostitution in her house and forced her to have sex with him. The three then fined her 1,500 yuan ($244) and let her go.

Later they found she had left the city and continued to harass her over the phone. Yingde police said on Monday that the allegations, which were originally made online, were true, and the case is under investigation.