PARIS - French police arrested five youngsters believed to belong "to an ultra violent" group of muggers targeting Chinese traders and tourists in Aubervilliers, northeastern Paris, local media reported on Wednesday.

Four youth aged between 18 and 19 years and a minor were allegedly targeting Chinese women in the industrial area of Aubervilliers where wholesale textiles are sold, because the youth thought they might be carrying large amounts of cash, a source close to the inquiry told the daily Le Parisien.

The gang was accused of carrying out 23 robberies over a two-month period, it added.

Chinese tourists have been the target of muggers in the French capital because of the belief they are more likely than other holidaymakers to carry cash on their person.