China extradited 77 suspects at once

Chinese police have extradited 77 suspects of telecommunications and online fraud from the island nation of Fiji.

This is the largest number of suspects ever extradited by Chinese police from a country in the Oceania region.

Chinese police escort suspects after extradition to the international airport in Changchun, Jilin province on August 5. Photo: THX/TTXVN

According to the Ministry of Public Security (MPS), the 77 suspects were accused of more than 50 scams, causing losses of over 6 million yuan (about 892,000 USD). On September 22, 2016, one of the victims in Jilin Province committed suicide after being scammed out of 1.3 million yuan. The incident sparked a large-scale nationwide investigation.

Soon after, Chinese police uncovered a ring that organized illegal online gambling and lottery activities, involving more than 200 suspects in China, Indonesia and Fiji, with illegal income of nearly 100 million yuan. The victims of this ring lived in more than 20 provinces and cities across China.

After clarifying the case, MPS sent a wanted police team to Fiji on July 2 to coordinate with local police to conduct an arrest campaign. On July 18, the force launched a raid on five operating bases, arrested 77 suspects, and seized criminal equipment, including mobile phones, computers, and bank cards. At the same time, police agencies in China also raided eight operating bases, rounded up two teams of technicians, and arrested a total of 83 suspects.

In another case, the MPS announced on August 4 that it had extradited 143 accomplices from Indonesia to China. The other 10 suspects, who had been arrested, continued to be detained in Indonesia for investigation. The ring is known to have carried out many fraudulent transactions, causing losses of more than 20 million yuan.

According to Kienthuc.net.vn