A former primary school headmaster has been arrested for alleged fraud in Luoding city, Guangdong province, after a gambling addiction resulted in debts of 1.3 million yuan ($211,000).

According to a statement from Luoding bureau of public security, the former headmaster, surnamed Tan, became addicted to online gambling in 2006.

He promised friends and relatives large returns if they gave him money and used fake documents to apply for credit cards. By 2009 he was deeply in debt.

Tan fled after racking up 1 million yuan in loans and using the credit cards to get 300,000 yuan.

He finally surrendered himself to police last week.

Tan confessed to criminal behavior, the statement said.