55 telecom fraud suspects returned to China from Indonesia

A total of 55 suspects in telecom and online fraud cases have been returned to China from Indonesia, the Ministry of Public Security said Saturday.

The suspects have been linked to more than 60 criminal cases, covering more than 20 Chinese provinces and involving 30 million yuan (about 4.7 million U.S. dollars), the ministry said in a statement.

[Screenshot: CCTV]

Chinese police sent a team to Indonesia in June 2017 to work with local police. In August 2017, 143 such suspects were brought back to China from Indonesia.

The ministry said that the 55 suspects were on Indonesia's Bali island according to tips provided by Chinese police. On January 11, police took action to destroy three dens and arrest them, it said.

The ministry said that the telecom and online fraud, in which people pretend to be police, prosecutors and court officials, severely infringed on people's property rights and interests.

It said that Chinese police will maintain a tough crackdown on such crimes, enhance cooperation with other countries, and bring criminals to justice.