Pictured: The twin 'mistresses' at the centre of Xinjiang police official scandal

These are the twin sisters at the centre of a scandal that saw a police chief in the western autonomous region of Xinjiang sacked.

The removal of Qi Fang as head of the Public Security Bureau in Usu last week came after the nation's new leadership vowed last month to implement tougher anti-graft measures, Xinhua reported, citing an unnamed source from the Tacheng government, which administers Usu.

In an online post on December 3 on news portal Iyaxin.com, Qi was accused of employing the 31-year-old twins at the bureau five months after he was promoted to police chief in June last year. One of the women was made vice-captain of special operations, while the other was made an assistant police officer in the traffic department. It was unclear whether either had any previous work experience with the police.

Married Qi has since denied that he had sex with the twins.

When questioned by the Beijing News he corrected a reporter who addressed him, telling him: "I’m not the bureau chief anymore.”

He also said he was at home with his wife and did not know why he had been sacked.