A secondhand car was stolen by its previous owner with the help of a global positioning system shortly after the vehicle was sold, Shanghai Morning Post reported.

A man surnamed Zhang from Minhang district in Shanghai bought a black Toyota Camry sedan for 168,000 yuan ($27,000) in March.

He got the car information on the Internet and was attracted by the vehicle's good condition and the lower-than-market price, Zhang said.

The car cost 200,000 yuan in total, including the transferal of ownership, with the license plate covered.

What Zhang had paid was just the advance payment. He would pay the rest after the transferral was finished, according to media reports.

The current market price of a basic Camry sedan tops 330,000 yuan, according to Yiche.com, a portal site for car information.

Zhang drove his inexpensive car home and then found it missing the next morning.

According to local police, the car allegedly was stolen by three thieves including the original owner, whose surname is Sun.

The three had put a tracking device on the car before the sale and then stole the vehicle using a spare key.

The idea of getting rid of the car occurred to Sun and his two friends when they found that transferal of ownership couldn't be completed.

The three suspects are being held in criminal custody.

zhangyu1@chinadaily.com.cn