(ECNS) -- Six governmental departments in China have jointly called for telecom fraud suspects to turn themselves in before Oct. 31 for lighter or mitigated punishment.
The circular by organizations including the Supreme People's Procuratorate, Ministry of Public Security and China Banking Regulatory Commission, was released after a slew of telecom fraud that led to a death and hefty financial losses.
Those who refuse to turn themselves in will be punished severely after the deadline passes, it said.
It was added that public security authorities will be proactive against telecom fraud and deal with infractions as criminal cases.
China's police, the procuratorate and courts will also make it a priority to quickly deal with telecom fraud and stop the spread of such crimes, the statement noted.