58 arrested in telecom swindling crackdown

A telecom fraud ring has been busted with the arrest of 58 suspects, including four Taiwanese ringleaders, police in east China's Fujian province said Thursday.

The arrests came after police stormed the gang's six bases in the city of Xiamen in July, the Public Security Department of Fujian said in a press release.

Initial investigations revealed the ring had been involved in more than 400 cases, in which the suspects claimed to be bank or court staff and cheated victims out of money via telephone calls, police said.

The ring, described by police as well-organized, allegedly employed staff in Xiamen and trained them in Taiwan.

Telecom-based fraud is a growing type of crime in China. In recent years, Chinese police have busted several big telecom fraud gangs involving Taiwanese or foreign nationals.