China has executed 11 members of a notorious Myanmar mafia family that was infamous for duping victims in fake online romances.
The Ming crime family was sentenced to death in September by a court in the eastern Chinese city of Wenzhou, with the same court also carrying out the executions on Thursday.
Residents in the UK and the US have fallen victim to similar, sophisticated schemes, after being lured into romantic relationships that resulted in the loss of large amounts of cash.
The clan members were executed for crimes including ‘intentional homicide, intentional injury, unlawful detention, fraud and casino establishment’, according to news agency Xinhua.
The death sentences were approved by the Supreme People’s Court in Beijing, which found that the evidence produced of crimes committed since 2015 was ‘conclusive and sufficient’.
The ‘Ming family criminal group’ had contributed to the deaths of 14 Chinese citizens and injuries to ‘many others’, according to local media.
‘The criminals’ close relatives were allowed to meet with them before the execution,’ Xinhua added.
China has executed 11 people linked to Myanmar criminal gangs, including ‘key members’ of telecom scam operations (pictured, some of the crime family at their sentencing in October at the Wenzhou Intermediate People’s Court in eastern China’s Zhejiang Province)