Police deport 164 Chinese nationals on charges of telecom fraud

Police on Monday handed over 164 Chinese nationals to Chinese police at Wattay International Airport after they were detained following their suspected involvement in online fraud.

Police escort telecom fraud suspects returned to China after they were detained in Laos. --Photo Global Times

Overseeing the repatriation of the group were senior officials from Ministry of Public Security of Laos and the Ministry of Public Security of China.
The 164 fraud suspects, including 13 women, were arrested in Laos, with 77 being apprehended in Vientiane, 46 in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone in Bokeo province, 22 in Savannakhet province, and 19 in Vientiane province, according to Lao Security News.
The suspects, who were accused of fraud through the use of cross-border telecommunications systems, were returned to China for further investigation.
The Lao and Chinese ministries signed a document to certify the return of the suspects from Laos to China, based on a Memorandum of Cooperation signed between the Ministry of Public Security of Laos and the Ministry of Public Security of China in May this year.
The suspects, implicated in 270 major cross-border telecom fraud cases, were detained in a joint operation conducted by Lao and Chinese police over the past few months.
The Chinese ministry sent an expert team to Laos in July to work with their Lao peers in a law enforcement cooperation programme.
The team assisted Lao police in 10 raids, the closure of 10 criminal sites and apprehending the suspects, including nine criminal gang leaders or major members.

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update September 13, 2023)