Courts in northeast China have jailed 282 members of a massive telecom fraud network that swindled 153 million yuan (22 mln U.S. dollars) out of its victims.
The Intermediate People's Court in the city of Baishan, Jilin Province, said Tuesday the gang had operated in south China's Guangdong Province as well as in Indonesia and Fiji.
Between March 2016 and July 2017, the gang sent out online messages luring victims to a fake platform for purchasing lottery tickets. The victims' accounts were later seized by the gang.
The gang was busted in 2017 in a sweeping police action, which saw 77 suspects repatriated from Fiji for trials.
Baishan's intermediate court and six lower-level courts on Nov. 27-29 handed down life imprisonment to the two ringleaders, and prison terms ranging from six months to 15 years to the other 280 members.
Another nine convicts received criminal detention, and eight others were freed from criminal punishment considering their minimal involvement.
