268 telecom scam suspects handed over to China from Laos

BEIJING -- A total of 268 suspects involved in cross-border telecom frauds affecting Chinese citizens were returned from Laos to Chinese police custody, the Ministry of Public Security announced Wednesday.

The suspects, including eight who served as the crimes' funding source and 54 criminal ring heads and core members, have been implicated in over 1,570 relevant cases in multiple localities in China, the ministry said in a statement.

The crackdown marks another important achievement in the joint police enforcement cooperation between Chinese and Laotian police authorities, the ministry said.

Chinese police sent a working team to Laos in January to carry out the cooperation, where the police forces from the two countries raided several criminal sites in Laos, capturing suspects and seizing over 2,400 mobile phones and computers used in criminal activities, according to the statement.

Investigations into the relevant cases are ongoing.

The ministry pledged to deepen the police cooperation with relevant countries to hunt down the criminals, while curbing relevant crimes and protect the safety of people's lives and property.