(Yicai) Aug. 15 -- Beijing Xiaocheng Technology, better known as XC Tech, has disclosed that police have arrested suspects related to the gold robbery at its African branch.

Five to six suspects were detained by Ghanaian police in relation to the gold armed robbery that happened at Akroma Gold on April 18, the Beijing-based company announced yesterday.

The arrest was possible thanks to the joint efforts of the police and national security authority, as well as rewards the firm offered for clues, XC Tech noted, adding that the suspects confessed, and police are now looking for evidence, including the stolen gold.

On April 25, XC Tech announced that several days earlier, 11 masked local residents with standard weapons broke into Akroma Gold, subdued security guards, and injured some local and Chinese employees to steal about 12 kilograms of gold. The incident caused the company a direct economic loss of about USD900,000.

XC Tech specializes in gold mining, solar power generation, and integrated circuit design. It owns the Akroma, Akoase, and FGM gold mines in Ghana.

XC Tech also disclosed its earnings for the first half of the year today. Net profit nearly halved to CNY19.8 million (USD2.8 million) in the six months ended June 30 from a year earlier, and revenue rose 10 percent to CNY132 million (USD14.5 million).

Shares of XC Tech [SHE: 300139] closed down 5.6 percent at CNY13.38 (USD1.87) apiece today.

Editor: Futura Costaglione