Five suspects related to a major bank theft case in northern China's Hebei Province went on trial in a local court today.

Five suspects, including Ren Xiaofeng, 34 and Ma Xiangjing, 37, former employees of the bank's cash-management center, are being tried in the Handan People's Intermediate Court, said Han Yuanheng, publicity director of the Hebei provincial higher court.

Han said the trial began around 8:30am today, but did not immediately reveal other details.

The theft, dubbed the country's largest on record, occurred on April 14, at the Handan branch of the Agricultural Bank of China (ABC), where 51 million yuan (about US$6.7 million) were reported stolen.

The Public Security Ministry put Ren and Ma, two major suspects, on the most wanted list.