Laos Police Have Dismantled 63 Call Centre Gangs Since 2022

VIENTIANE, Jan 9 (Bernama-KPL) -- Laos Deputy Head of the Police General Department, Ministry of Public Security, Brig. Gen. Vanthong Soulisack, said police operations over the past two years have dismantled 63 call centre gangs, accounting for 20.5 per cent of the total identified.

The Laos News Agency (KPL) reported that since 2022, authorities have detected 306 call centre fraud rings involving 15,970 members, including 6,120 Lao nationals and 9,868 foreign nationals.

Meanwhile, 46 of the gangs have voluntarily disbanded, and operations are ongoing to dismantle 37 additional gangs.

A meeting to evaluate efforts in addressing telecom fraud by call centre gangs in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone was held in Bokeo Province on Jan 7.

To date, 1,394 call centre gang members have been handed over to Chinese authorities, along with items used in their crimes, including 5,430 smartphones, 1,368 desktop computers, 92 laptops, two iPads, 14 Wi-Fi routers, and 16 USB drives.

Additionally, the Laos police have deported 159 call centre gang members to Vietnamese authorities, along with crime-related items such as 298 smartphones and 20 computers.

The Ministry of Public Security emphasised its commitment to strengthening cooperation with relevant authorities at central, provincial, and district levels, as well as with regional defence and public security agencies and authorities in the Golden Triangle area, to combat cybercrime and ensure the rule of law.

-- BERNAMA-KPL