NANJING, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Police in east China's Jiangsu Province said Wednesday they had busted a ring that sold lewd contents online and the case involved 4 million yuan (581,300 U.S. dollars).

Police in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu, said 17 suspects were arrested in seven provinces and municipalities including Beijing and Guangdong.

According to police, the gang ran a website that hired photographers and cameramen to supply over 300,000 pornographic images and videos to its paid membership of more than 3,000.

Yin Zhihui, a police officer who joined the crackdown, said most of the website's content suppliers were young, highly educated but lacking legal awareness. Many were lured into the scheme by the handsome remuneration.