2 suspects in Chinese bank scam surrender

Two suspects in a major economic crime recently gave themselves up and returned to China from Cambodia after being at large for 10 years, the Ministry of Public Security said on Wednesday.

The chase dates to July 2004, when police in North China's Shanxi province found that 30-plus suspects-including the two who just surrendered, surnamed Zhu and Kong-allegedly lured 35 groups to deposit funds in designated banks with the promise of high interest. Then the suspects conspired with bank staff to transfer the money into their own pockets, the ministry said in a statement.

Their crimes, from January 2002 to July 2004, involved 13 branches of five banks and amounted to 73 cases, leading to "huge economic losses", the statement said.