Twenty-two Chinese nationals were arrested at a rented villa in Svay Rieng City on Saturday on suspicion of extorting money from people overseas using Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, technology, police said Sunday.
Kao Soktha, chief of the Svay Rieng provincial police’s minor crimes bureau, said the arrests on Saturday morning followed a weeklong investigation by a joint force comprised of bureau officers, immigration police and officials from the Interior Ministry’s intelligence department.
“The Chinese nationals had been renting the villa in Tacho village, Svay Toeur commune, Svay Rieng City, since March,” he said.
“We do not know when they started running the VoIP scam, but they were running it for at least three months, according to their confession.” Mr. Soktha said police confiscated computers and other evidence from the residence and that the suspects were being held at provincial police headquarters.
He said the Svay Rieng Provincial Court had started questioning the 22, three of whom are women.
“They just finished with six Chinese men and we will send more tomorrow,” he said.
