73 telecom fraud suspects repatriated

A total of 73 suspects involved in telecom and online fraud cases have been brought back to China from the Philippines, the Ministry of Public Security said on Tuesday. The suspects have been linked to more than 40 cases, covering several Chinese provinces and involving 20 million yuan ($3.2 million), the ministry said in a statement.

China sent a team of police officers to the Philippines in 2017 to work with local authorities and locate suspects in Manila, the northwestern city of Vigan, according to the statement.

They shut down six operations engaged in various scams earlier this year and later decided to send the suspects, all Chinese citizens, to China, it said. Another 78 suspects are still under investigation in the Philippines, it added.