Myanmar fraud-gang leaders arrested, chief criminal commits suicide

BEIJING, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS) on Thursday announced that Ming Guoping, Ming Julan and Ming Zhenzhen, ringleaders of a telecom and online fraud criminal gang in northern Myanmar's Kokang Self-Administered Zone, have been arrested, and that the chief criminal of the gang Ming Xuechang has committed suicide.

All four of them were put on a wanted list with a reward by the police in Wenzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province on Sunday.

Investigations by Chinese police have found that the gang, headed by Ming Xuechang, has long been committing telecom and online fraud targeting Chinese citizens, involving a huge amount of illicit gains, and was suspected of severe violent crimes including intentional homicide, intentional injury and unlawful detention, according to the ministry.

With the collaboration of relevant Myanmarese authorities, Ming Guoping, Ming Julan and Ming Zhenzhen were arrested and transferred to the Chinese police on Thursday. The Chinese police will thoroughly investigate the facts of crimes of the gang and severely punish the criminals in accordance with the law, the MPS said in a statement.

Ming Xuechang committed suicide for fear of punishment as the Myanmarese side hunted him down on Wednesday night, according to the MPS.

Chinese public security organs will continue to crack down on the telecom and online fraud that is based in northern Myanmar and targets Chinese citizens, and resolutely safeguard the people's lives, property and legitimate rights, the ministry said.