Police in Beijing said Thursday they have detained 17 members of the "Almighty God" cult for spreading rumors of an impending apocalypse on Dec. 21.

The cult, established in 1990 in central China's Henan Province, promised salvation to those who join before "doomsday."

The cult members were apprehended on Dec. 10 for spreading rumors about an apocalypse in a park in Changping district of Beijing, and they were detained for disturbing social order, according to the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau.