What’s new: More than 150 Chinese nationals suspected of committing cross-border telecom fraud have been deported from Indonesia this week, authorities said, as Beijing deepens international cooperation in cracking down on such crimes.
The suspects are allegedly involved in over 100 “nude chat” extortion cases that have been filed across the country, the Ministry of Public Security said in a Thursday statement.
The suspects arrived on three chartered flights Wednesday night at airports in Beijing and Jinan, capital of East China’s Shandong province, the statement added.
They were arrested following joint efforts between local police and Chinese officers who went to Indonesia, where 88 suspects were captured on Aug. 29 and the rest at a later date which the statement did not specify.
The background: Chinese nationals have been primary targets of telecom fraud in Southeast Asia, where gangs acquire Chinese facilitators, sometimes through scams, kidnapping or human trafficking.
China is willing to work with Cambodia on combating cross-border crimes such as online gambling and telecom fraud through law enforcement and security cooperation, President Xi Jinping said last week during the Southeast Asian leader’s visit to Beijing.
Last month, law enforcement agencies from China, Thailand, Myanmar and Laos launched a joint campaign to rout out such crimes.
Contact reporter Kelly Wang (jingzhewang@caixin.com) and editor Bertrand Teo (bertrandteo@caixin.com)
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