The Lao Ministry of Public Security (MOPS) handed over 164 online fraud suspects to the Chinese police on Monday, 11 September, at Wattay International Airport in Vientiane Capital.
The 164 fraud suspects, including 13 women, were arrested in various locations across Laos. Of these alleged scammers, 77 were arrested in Vientiane Capital, 46 in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone in Bokeo Province, 22 in Vientiane Province, and 19 in Savannakhet Province.
The suspects, who were accused of defrauding Chinese citizens through the use of cross-border telecommunications systems, were extradited to China for further investigation, according to Lao Security Magazine.
The handover ceremony was attended by Colonel Muk Vilayphon, Deputy Director of the Foreign Relations Department Office of the Ministry of Public Security (MOPS), Lieut. Colonel Yang Wan Fang, Head of the Investigation Department of the Ministry of Public Security of China, and other relevant police officials.
The two sides also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the handover and acceptance of suspects, which is based on the 2020 Memorandum of Cooperation between the public security ministries of the two countries.
The handover is part of the ongoing cooperation between the Lao and Chinese police forces to combat transnational crime.
Additionally, since the beginning of this year, Chinese police have collaborated with law enforcement agencies in Laos, the Philippines, Cambodia, and Myanmar, and apprehended over 300 telecom fraud suspects.
