Chinese telecom fraud suspects repatriated

Updated: 2011-06-27

(Xinhua)

BEIJING - A total of 27 Chinese mainland suspects involved in a telecom-based swindling case were sent to Beijing Sunday evening from Malaysia under the escort of Chinese police, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

Police from the mainland and Taiwan jointly uncovered the swindling case in March in collaboration with their counterparts from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

According to the ministry, a total of 598 suspects in the case, including 186 mainlanders, 410 Taiwan residents, one Cambodian and one Vietnamese, have been arrested.

Previously, 141 mainland suspects involved in the case were escorted back from Cambodia and other countries. The 27 suspects who arrived Sunday were the last batch in the case returning from overseas.

This telecom fraud case marked the highest number of repatriated Chinese suspects that were involved in a single case, the ministry said Sunday in a statement.

Telecom-based swindling is a new type of crime in which suspects cheat people through telecommunications facilities. Many innocent people have fallen victim in the hands of this kind of crimes.

An investigation concerning the case is under way, according to the ministry.