Armenian police deported 129 Chinese telecom fraud suspects, including 78 from Taiwan, to the Chinese mainland, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) announced.

The suspects were arrested when local police raided six dens on August 20, said the MPS, adding a large amount of equipment including computers and smart phones were found on site.

The MPS dispatched a working team to Armenia to deal with the issue on August 26.

Investigation found that the syndicate based in Armenia had been falsely presenting themselves as law enforcement officers to extort money from people on the Chinese mainland through telephone calls. They were found to have cheated people involved in about 50 cases, worth more than 7 million yuan ($1.2 million).

The MPS has designated police from Guangdong Province to investigate the case, as all victims are from the mainland. Mainland police have informed Taiwan authorities of the cases.

Telecom fraud has caused grave harm, said the MPS, vowing to continue the fight against telecom fraud.

Public Security Minister Guo Shengkun urged efforts to enhance public awareness of such crimes and firmly curb on telecom fraud to protect people's legitimate rights and interests in Shanghai on September 6.

(Xinhua News Agency September 7, 2016)