482 suspects seized in transnational telecom scam

People suspected of being involved in a major transnational telecom scam are transferred to Wuxi,Jiangsu province, May 24, 2012. [Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING - A total of 482 people suspected of being involved in a major transnational telecom scam were seized by law enforcement officials from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan on Wednesday with the help of police in six countries.

People suspected of being involved in a major transnational telecom scam are escorted off the plane in Beijing, capital of China, May 24, 2012.[Photo/Xinhua]

Of the suspects, 177 are from the Chinese mainland and 286 are from Taiwan, the Ministry of Public Security said Thursday. The other 19 suspects are from Thailand and Myanmar.

They are suspected of having stolen more than 73 million yuan ($11.5 million) in 510 cases of telecom fraud, all of which occurred in the Chinese mainland, the ministry said.

These suspects spread throughout the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, as well as six other countries -- Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Fiji -- and established money-laundering dens in Taiwan and Thailand, it said.

One-hundred-twenty-six Chinese suspects were escorted from Thailand and Malaysia to Beijing on Thursday.

The ministry launched the investigation in November 2011, and invited police from Taiwan to work out effective solutions. Early this May, the ministry sent six groups composed of 70 Chinese police officers to the six countries to further investigate.

The group was busted on Wednesday with the help of law enforcement agencies in those six countries, the ministry said.

The ministry said it regards the coordinated crackdown on the telecom scam as a new paradigm of international police cooperation, adding that China's law enforcement departments are always confident in, and capable of, safeguarding the security of people's property.