VIENTIANE (ANN/LAOTIAN TIMES) – One hundred and sixty four individuals have been transferred to the Chinese police on suspicion of online fraud, it was reported on Monday.
The suspects, handed over by the Lao Ministry of Public Security (MOPS) at Wattay International Airport in Vientiane Capital, include 13 women. They were apprehended at different locations throughout Laos. Among them, 77 were detained in Vientiane Capital, 46 in the Gold 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 Deputy Director of the Foreign Relations Department Office of the MOPS Colonel Muk Vilayphon, Head of the Investigation Department of the Ministry of Public Security of China Lieutenant Colonel Yang Wan Fang, 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.
