Three women who police say were involved in the recent Chongqing sex scandal that led to the sacking of 11 officials have been detained.

An anonymous police officer told the Qilu Evening News on Jan 30 that the women included one who is lactating.

The suspects allegedly lured officials of the Southwest China municipality into having sex with them in 2008 and 2009. Police said accomplices used hidden cameras to make videos of the sexual encounters, and a company boss used the videos to blackmail officials into giving him contracts for city projects.

A whistle-blower obtained the videos and put one of them on the Internet in November. The man in the video — Lei Zhengfu, then the Party chief of a Chongqing district — was sacked 63 hours after the video went online.

Ten other officials were also removed from their posts on Jan 24 in connection with the videos.

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