A man in Foshan, Guangdong Province was detained for killing 40,000 kilograms of fish by dumping a poisonous chemical into ponds as a way to settle a grudge with their owner, local media reported Tuesday.

Local police took the 43-year-old surnamed Lü into custody on Thursday along with four other suspects involved in the poisoning of four fish ponds that resulted in more than 1 million yuan ($158,300) in damages.

Lü accused the owner, surnamed Yang, for having a hand in the death of his uncle, who died in a traffic accident in 2000 after racking up a gambling debt of over 200,000 yuan.

Lü wanted to hold Yang responsible for his uncle's death because he had gambled with him in the past, the report said.

Yang said he called police after finding dead fish floating on the surface of his ponds around 9 pm on July 20.

"I got scared when I saw the fish in four ponds were all dead," said Yang.

Nandu Daily