members of an alleged online gambling gang in Fiji were flown back to China over the weekend after Beijing sent police forces to the island to investigate, according to local media reports.

Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported that a total of 77 people were arrested and returned to mainland China since they were reportedly involved in over 50 cases of illegal gambling. The group, which had been operating from China, Indonesia and Fiji, misappropriated close to $900,000 from Chinese victims.

Xinhua claims that authorities sent a team to Fiji last on 2 July, and the suspects were detained two weeks later in a series of raids that destroyed five dens. Police also confiscated mobile phones, bank cards, computers, and other equipment.

China has intensified its efforts to hunt down illicit gambling-related activities. Back in 2015, a ring, which reportedly generated over $14m in revenue, was detained. Additionally, Beijing has been cooperating with its neighbouring countries to shut down cross-border operations. Last April, it joined forces with the Philippines to detain 99 people and freeze 1,000 bank accounts .





Picture credit: Xinhua