Ten people accused of running a pyramid scheme have gone on trial at the Baotou intermediate people's court in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, the Xinhua News Agency reported yesterday.

The defendants, whose trials began yesterday and on Monday, are charged with conning more than 30,000 people out of 1.28 billion yuan ($187 million) by selling them overpriced plots of forestry land.

The court heard that defendant Chen Xianggui set up the Liaoning 1,000 Miles Forestation Co in August 2002.