Fraud crackdown steps up in northern Myanmar leading to 109 arrests

A new group of 109 suspects involved in telecom fraud entrenched in northern Myanmar, as well as a collection of tools used to commit the crimes were handed over to Chinese police on Saturday, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

To curb the telecom fraud in northern Myanmar on the border of China, the ministry has deployed public security in Yunnan province to strengthen border law enforcement cooperation with neighboring countries.

In recent years, as crackdowns on telecom fraud have increased, criminal gangs that were previously hidden in Southeast Asian countries have gradually shifted their operations to northern Myanmar, mainly in areas adjacent to cities in Yunnan, the ministry said.

Efforts have been taken to study and tackle to crimes, and so far, 1,482 suspects involved in telecom fraud have been handed over to Chinese authorities, according to the ministry.

"This has effectively squeezed the living space of overseas criminal groups involved in fraud," it said.

Currently, the ministry has deployed provincial public security organs to bring back suspects handed over from Yunnan and carry out investigations, and dig deeply into the upstream and downstream criminal chain.

Efforts have also been made to crack down on illegal immigration and other domestic crimes related to the overseas telecom fraud, and severely punish domestic accomplices, creating a high-pressure deterrent, it said.

The ministry said that the previous crackdown operation has achieved significant results, and it will intensify efforts to advance the crackdown operation.