Criminal suspects are escorted by Chinese police officers at the Kunming Changshui International Airport in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Jan. 30, 2024. The Myanmar police on Tuesday handed six key leaders of Kokang telecom fraud gangs and four other major criminal suspects over to China, according to China's Ministry of Public Security.

The ten suspects were escorted by Chinese police officers back to China via a charter flight that landed in Kunming on Tuesday evening, the ministry said, adding that it is another landmark achievement of Chinese and Myanmar police cooperation in law enforcement. (Xinhua/Yin Gang)

The Myanmar police on Tuesday handed six key leaders of Kokang telecom fraud gangs and four other major criminal suspects over to China, according to China's Ministry of Public Security.

The ten suspects were escorted by Chinese police officers back to China via a charter flight that landed in Kunming on Tuesday evening, the ministry said, adding that it is another landmark achievement of Chinese and Myanmar police cooperation in law enforcement.

It demonstrates the firm determination and strong will of the two countries to jointly combat transnational telecom fraud crimes and work together to maintain security and stability, it said.

The ministry said that for a long time, multiple criminal groups in the Kokang region in northern Myanmar have openly organized armed fraud gangs and carried out telecom fraud crimes against Chinese citizens. They were also suspected of multiple and severe violent crimes such as intentional homicide, intentional injury, and illegal detention.

On Dec. 10, 2023, the Chinese police issued a public reward for 10 ring leaders of the telecom fraud criminal gangs in the Kokang region and sent a working group to Myanmar.

Tuesday's successful handover took place after China and Myanmar reached a consensus following multiple rounds of talks and consultations.

An officer of the ministry said that 44,000 telecom fraud suspects have been handed over to China from Myanmar so far, including 2,908 fugitives.

The Chinese police will always maintain a high-pressure posture to crack down on such crimes, and continue to deepen international law enforcement cooperation and arrest ring leaders of telecom fraud criminal gangs, said the officer.