Thirty-one Chinese nationals were arrested in three districts of Phnom Penh on Monday in the latest police crackdown on alleged fraudsters accused of operating a scam using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), according to a police report supplied by an immigration official.
The suspects, including nine women, were arrested at three buildings—the Helina Hotel, Mekong View Tower and Diamond Serviced Apartments—in Chamkar Mon, Chroy Changvar and Prampi Makara districts, respectively, said the report, provided by Uk Heisela, chief of investigations at the Interior Ministry’s immigration department.
The suspects were sent to the immigration department “to carry out the legal procedure,” the report said.
Keo Vannthan, the department’s spokesman, referred additional questions to Lieutenant General Heisela, who could not be reached for comment. The police chiefs of the three districts where the arrests occurred declined to comment, referring questions to the Interior Ministry.
The arrests were the result of cooperation between the ministry’s immigration department, municipal immigration police and Chinese authorities, according to a post on the National Police website.
Less than two weeks ago, 74 Chinese nationals accused of running a VoIP exhortation scam, including the alleged ringleader, were extradited to China.
They were arrested about a month after Chinese officials warned Cambodian immigration police of the scammers’ operation.
