China has executed 11 individuals convicted of operating violent telecom fraud networks linked to northern Myanmar, state media reported, as Beijing intensifies its crackdown on cross-border cybercrime.
According to state news agency Xinhua, those put to death included senior members of the notorious Ming family criminal syndicate, which Chinese authorities say ran large-scale scam centres that targeted Chinese citizens.
The crimes committed by the group went far beyond online fraud. Xinhua reported that the syndicate was involved in serious offences including human trafficking, unlawful detention, torture and murder. Victims were often lured or trafficked into scam compounds, where they were forced to carry out fraudulent activities under brutal conditions.
The suspects were handed over to Chinese authorities by Myanmar officials, tried in China, and sentenced to death last year. The executions were carried out after the sentences were reviewed and approved by China’s Supreme People’s Court, a requirement for capital punishment cases.
The executions form part of a broader campaign by Beijing to dismantle cybercrime networks operating along Myanmar’s unstable border regions. These areas have become hubs for scam operations that exploit weak law enforcement, ongoing conflict and porous borders.
In recent years, Chinese authorities have worked with neighbouring countries, including Myanmar, Laos and Thailand, to repatriate thousands of suspects and victims linked to scam syndicates. Many of the operations have trapped foreign nationals, who were forced to work in scam centres through coercion, violence and threats.
China has repeatedly warned that it will take a hard-line approach against organisers and key figures behind telecom fraud, which has cost Chinese citizens billions of dollars and caused widespread social harm.
Beijing says the latest executions send a strong message that serious cybercrime and related violent offences will be dealt with harshly, regardless of where they are committed.
