Seventy-four suspects in a telecom fraud scheme have been deported from Malaysia back to China. Fifty-three of them come from the the Chinese mainland, while 21 are from Taiwan. Chinese police escorted the group after they arrived in Hubei province on Tuesday evening.

They are suspected of involvement in more than 500 cross-border telecom and cyber fraud cases worth around U.S.$8.7 million.

Chinese authorities said they had located several fraud gangs swindling people in China from hideouts in Malaysia, and have cooperated with Malaysian police as part of a clampdown.