Having arrested 23 people at two Mahjong parlours in Huizhou on Nov. 16 after a lengthy criminal investigation, cops at Chenjiang Police Station in Kaigao New Zone sealed the suspects’ mouths with tape to prevent them from colluding in their native dialect, Southern Metropolis Daily reports.

This is not technically against the law, image courtesy of Southern Metropolis Daily

The gang, from Weng’an in Guizhou Province, is suspected of being involved in over 100 thefts. The cops had only two cells in which to keep them, so had to improvise a way of preventing them from colluding.

Lawyer Zou Chaogui of Huizhou-based Guangdong Shangdian Law Firm said putting tape over the suspects’ mouths was not technically against the law. But Zou also said that the cops should have thought of a better way of preventing collusion.

Image courtesy of Southern Metropolis Daily

The issue of migrants speaking in a dialect that locals don’t understand may not exist a century from now. Since the government mandates that Mandarin be used in all schools and official settings, many local dialects could be in danger of dying out.

The Phonemica Project, which was launched by linguists Kellen Parker and Steve Hansen last year, has taken on the task of saving China’s dying languages as a means of preserving history.

h/t Hug China