43,000 suspects punished for telecom, Internet fraud

China resolved 77,000 cases related to telecom and Internet fraud from January to September this year, punishing 43,000 suspects, police authorities said Monday.

The number of suspects punished was 2.3 times more than the same period last year, the Ministry of Public Security revealed at a conference in Beijing.

Police closed 6,900 boiler rooms and confiscated ill-gotten gains valued at 2.34 billion yuan (about $347 million), it said. The arrest of suspects also prevented people from being swindled out of 4.75 billion yuan, police allege.

Deputy public security minister Li Wei said the ministry will continue to improve its current campaign, with a particular focus on helping victims recover their money.