China has launched a nationwide manhunt for 100 wanted fugitives linked to major telecom and online fraud operations, while confirming that 1,178 Chinese nationals suspected of involvement in large-scale scam networks in Myanmar’s Myawaddy region have been escorted back to China.
China’s public security authorities said the latest returns bring the total number of suspects repatriated from the area to more than 6,600 since February.
The Ministry of Public Security announced on December 9th that police across multiple provinces have issued public notices seeking the arrest of key “financiers” and core members of cross-border fraud syndicates. The list includes Wu Qiping, Wu Qingzheng, Fu Xiaobin, and Ou Changhua — figures described as significant fugitives associated with the so-called “four major families” operating in northern Myanmar.
According to the ministry, these individuals allegedly recruited and organized personnel abroad to target Chinese citizens, conducting long-running telecom fraud activities involving large sums of money and causing severe social harm. Despite an intensified crackdown launched by Chinese authorities in recent years, the suspects continued to direct criminal operations from overseas under the protection of local armed groups.
Police departments in Hangzhou and Wenzhou in Zhejiang province, Quanzhou and Longyan in Fujian, Pingdingshan in Henan, Shenzhen in Guangdong, Kunming in Yunnan, and Chongqing have jointly issued bounty notices for the wanted suspects. Authorities urged all fugitives to surrender as soon as possible and called on the public to provide information that could assist in their capture. Those offering valuable leads will be protected and rewarded in accordance with the law.
The nationwide manhunt coincides with strengthened international cooperation targeting entrenched fraud hubs in Southeast Asia. According to China Central Television, coordinated enforcement involving China, Myanmar, and Thailand has led to the transfer of 1,178 additional suspects from Myawaddy — a known center of telecom scam compounds — into Chinese custody.
The repatriations follow a ministerial-level meeting held on November 14th among China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, during which officials agreed to deepen joint enforcement efforts and conduct targeted operations against cross-border crime. Myanmar authorities have since carried out large-scale sweeps of scam compounds in Myawaddy, detaining groups of individuals implicated in offenses affecting Chinese victims.
Beginning December 1st, China’s Ministry of Public Security deployed police officers from Jiangxi province to Mae Sot, Thailand, to conduct charter-flight transfers of suspects handed over by Myanmar. The Jiangxi police have launched parallel investigations into the returned individuals.
Authorities said the ongoing multinational crackdown has delivered a strong deterrent effect against criminal organizations operating outside China. A senior official from the Ministry of Public Security stated that joint operations will continue, emphasizing that China remains committed to dismantling fraud networks, arresting those responsible, and protecting the safety and property of the public.
