40 on trial for cross-border telecom fraud

BEIJING, April 18 (Xinhua) -- A total of 40 suspects stood trial in Beijing Wednesday in a cross-border telecom fraud case.

The 40, including five Taiwan residents, were arrested in Kenya and brought back to China in 2016, according to the Beijing Haidian District People's Court.

The suspects pleaded guilty to cheating 20 victims on the Chinese mainland out of more than 1.22 million yuan (about 190,000 U.S. dollars), the court said.

The suspects claimed to work for police, procuratorates or medical insurance bureaus and called Chinese citizens, telling them their personal information had been stolen and they should pay to protect their assets and prove they had not committed any crime.

The court will announce the verdicts at a later date.