BEIJING - China's railway police has caught 169 train ticket scalpers since it launched a crackdown on July 1, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

Police have cracked 157 ticket scalping cases and uncovered 11 dens involved in speculative reselling of train tickets as of Aug 2, according to a ministry statement.

Nearly 5,700 tickets have been confiscated, with a face value of more than 900,000 yuan ($146,880), according to the ministry.

Security at ticket booths and railway station ticket offices has been beefed up since July 1, according to the ministry.

Police usually launch crackdown campaigns against ticket scalpers during major festivals, during which millions of Chinese people use trains to travel or go home.

The summer travel rush starts from July 1 to Aug 31.