Nearly 40 local officials were investigated and punished in connection with six cases of illegal land use in the first quarter of this year, China's Ministry of Land and Resources said Monday.

Unlawful practices included local governments obtaining land through illegal means and illegal land approvals. The cases also involved illegal mining practices by several companies, the ministry said.

The fact that several government and Communist Party of China (CPC) officials were directly involved in the cases is of particular concern, the ministry said. These officials have been removed from their posts or otherwise disciplined, the ministry said.

Data from the ministry showed that China saw a total of 9,832 instances of illegal land use in the first quarter of this year, up 3.7 percent from the same period last year.