Phnom penh: Cambodia has extradited Liu Ren, a pivotal figure in a transnational organized crime network, to China for prosecution after his arrest in Phnom Penh.
According to Thai News Agency, China's Public Security Ministry released images showing police officers escorting Liu Ren from a China Southern Airlines flight arriving in Beijing from Phnom Penh. Liu, apprehended in Phnom Penh, faces numerous charges, including tech fraud and serious offenses in Cambodia, such as unlawful detention and intentional physical abuse of trafficked workers in call centers.
Liu Ren is identified as a key associate and right-hand man of Chen Zhi, the Chinese billionaire founder of the Prince Group, a significant Cambodian conglomerate. Liu is alleged to be a leader in one of Asia's largest cybercrime networks. Under Chen Zhi's direction, Liu established the Jin Bei Group in Cambodia in 2016, initially operating an online gambling platform. By 2020, it evolved into full-scale "Telecom Fraud Parks," specializing in romance scams and cryptocurrency fraud, resulting in billions of dollars in losses globally.
The extradition of Liu Ren is part of a comprehensive crackdown in Cambodia, conducted in collaboration with the international community, following growing pressure over transnational crime. In January, Cambodian authorities arrested and extradited Chen Zhi to China, a major criminal syndicate leader, following sanctions from the United States and the United Kingdom. Subsequently, in April, Li Xiong, former chairman of the Huione Group, a subsidiary of the Prince Group involved in cryptocurrency laundering, was extradited to China on similar charges.
To date, Cambodian authorities have deported and extradited over 20,000 suspects linked to fraud and call center networks to China, including individuals accused of murder and other serious offenses. Chinese police have mobilized forces and established special investigation teams in 10 provinces, such as Shanxi, Shandong, and Hunan, to dismantle the entire network of accomplices.