Six people have been detained for allegedly posing as monks and illegally seeking exorbitant tithes from tourists in exchange for blessings of good fortune at two phony monasteries at iconic Wutai Mountain in North China's Shanxi Province.

Local law enforcement authorities Saturday also shut down the "Fortune God Temple" and the "Foguozhongxin," or "Center for Buddhism," after a CCTV report Thursday showed that imposter monks there would bless tourists with better fortunes depending on how much they paid. Both places were licensed as commercial businesses but were posing as temples on the mountain.

Imposter monks at "Foguozhongxin" charged tourists between 90 yuan ($14.4) to 10,800 yuan for a good-luck prayer, according to the CCTV report.

Tourists were also pressured into buying expensive incense and were charged excessive fees for other ceremonies, the report revealed.

After the investigative report's broadcast, police shut down the businesses. The local industry and commerce authority has also revoked the temples' commercial licenses for being involved in illegal activities. It is unclear why it took a CCTV exposé for the authorities to act.

Five people working there are being held under criminal detention and one is being held under administrative detention. The police investigation is continuing.

As one of China's four sacred Buddhist mountains, Wutai Mountain is home to dozens of temples, a few of which are centuries old and contain valuable cultural relics. The mountain was added to the UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2009.

Xinhua reported that local authorities have started taking tougher measures to regulate temples and businesses to ensure Wutai Mountain's positive image  with tourists and worshippers.

Law enforcement authorities have raided and shut down seven other temples operating near the mountain that were also conducting similar shady dealings, reported Xinhua.

"All the monks have identification certificates, but it is usually considered inappropriate and disrespectful to ask them to show their certificates," Xu Kang, a deputy director of the regulation and publicity division of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Ethnic and Religious Affairs, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Xu said that many imposter monks take advantage of this respect from tourists who hope they can channel good fortune into their lives.

"People should always remember that monks are not allowed to ask for donations anywhere outside the temple. Those who approach people on the streets are mostly imposters," Xu added.

In October last year, the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA) began to forbid local authorities from contracting out Buddhist and Taoist temples to enterprises and individuals. It also banned the  listing of religious sites on the stock market, in the wake of a public backlash against the commercialization of such sites.