After a year-long in-depth investigation, the Public Security Bureau of Zhongxiang City, Hubei Province, successfully dismantled a major telecom fraud syndicate based in the Golden Triangle Special Zone in Laos. The group, led by Chen Mouqi, involved 72 individuals across 12 provinces, ultimately revealing the complex operation chain of the criminal gang.
This operation began in November 2021, when the Zhongxiang City Public Security Bureau received a report from local resident Zheng Mou, who was defrauded through a financial management app he downloaded.
Through the investigation, the police discovered that the fraud group's hideout was located in the Golden Triangle Special Zone of Laos. Despite the investigation being stalled due to the pandemic and other factors, the police never relaxed their follow-up and analysis of the case.
In July 2022, as some suspects began to return to the country, the police intensified their investigation with the support of the Hubei Provincial Public Security Department, and formed the "7·29 Anti-Cross-Border Telecom Fraud Task Force." In January 2023, the case was listed as a supervised case by the Ministry of Public Security and launched a nationwide large-scale cluster campaign.
After a thorough analysis of the fraudulent app, the police identified that the application was backed by overseas registrants and money laundering tools, eventually pinpointing the suspects active in the Golden Triangle Special Zone in Laos.
Further analysis of the money flow revealed that the fraud group colluded with domestic technicians, using cryptocurrencies, stocks, and foreign exchange as means of fraud.
Following extensive investigations and tracking, the Zhongxiang City Public Security Bureau formed a 35-person assault team, spanning 12 provinces and traveling over 100,000 kilometers, successfully capturing 72 suspects.
The police also seized a large number of crime tools, including more than 50 mobile phones, 2 computers involved in the case, and over 200 related cases.
The criminal group, led by Chen Mouqi, had a complex hierarchy and was involved in multiple crimes, including fraud, illegal border crossing, and money laundering. After the trial, Chen Mouqi and other main suspects were sentenced to 3 to 15 years of fixed-term imprisonment and confiscation of all properties.
The Zhongxiang City Public Security Bureau stated that the resolution of this case marks an important victory for Hubei Province in combating cross-border telecom fraud, successfully striking the entire criminal chain, from financiers to fraud implementers at all levels, who were all legally processed.
This is also the first time Hubei Province has achieved a full-level strike against an overseas fraud group, and precisely targeted the returning suspects and the behind-the-scenes bosses of the fraud industrial parks.
