BEIJING - CHINESE police have detained 40 people in multiple cases of alleged high-tech cheating on the country's make-or-break university entrance exams, state media reported.

In north Shanxi province, six people were detained for allegedly selling receivers to students so they could be fed the correct answers during the June 7-9 tests, the Xinhua news agency said late on Sunday.

The detainees included four students and one middle school teacher, according to the agency.

In northeastern Jilin province, a total of 34 suspects have been detained for trying to cheat during the exams, Xinhua said.

It was not immediately clear if the suspects had been charged, or what the charges would be.

Ten million students sat for the highly competitive exams, which are considered crucial for Chinese families, as they can determine whether a student enters the country's educated elite or joins the general work force.

Authorities this year announced stepped-up efforts to crack down on cheating after more than 1,000 applicants were caught cheating on China's civil servant exams, with some using earpieces and wireless transmitters. -- AFP