Police yesterday arrested 31 Chinese nationals for allegedly planning to use a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) scam to extort people in their home country.

Uk Hai Sela, head of investigations at the Interior Ministry’s Immigration Department, said police raided three locations in Phnom Penh – in Chroy Changvar, Chamkarmon and Prampi Makara districts – after the Chinese authorities tipped them off.

He said that some equipment was confiscated and that the detainees were currently at the Department of Immigration.

“We wait for the Chinese government to buy tickets to China to bring them back,” he said.

Sela said the ring planned to extort people living in China, but declined to give details.

According a Facebook post of the Directorate General of the Department of Immigration, eight were arrested at the Phnom Penh Helina Hotel, another 18 people were found at the Mekong View Tower and five others at the Diamond Apartment.

Chuon Sovann, general director of the municipal police, declined to comment.

Sela added that the General Department of Immigration also arrested five undocumented Vietnamese yesterday, who had come to work on fishing boats in Sihanoukville.

Cambodian police arrested more than 70 Chinese nationals earlier this month in similar raids.