Seventy-four Chinese nationals arrested last week for allegedly operating a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) extortion ring out of Cambodia were deported yesterday, head of investigations at the Immigration Department Uk Hai Sela said yesterday.

The ring, which extorted people living in China, was operating in Phnom Penh, Kandal and Kampot provinces before the crackdown, which was requested by Chinese authorities. “Many of them had lived in Cambodia for three months, but some had just arrived here a month ago,” Hai Sela said. “All were sent back to Hunan province in mainland China today.”

However, the stings, which came after months of police investigations, have not managed to capture all ring members. “Seven members of the team are still hiding in Cambodia. Three used to operate in Kampot and four in Phnom Penh,” Hai Sela said.

Busts of such extortion rings are not uncommon. Last year, more than 60 Chinese and Taiwanese nationals were deported for running a VoIP scam, and 118 Chinese nationals were busted earlier in the year at a casino in a similar crackdown.