A group of 200 Chinese nationals plucked from scam centers in Myanmar crossed into Thailand and were flown home to China on Thursday (February 20), state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Footage from CCTV showed Chinese nationals suspected of fraud deplaning in Nanjing with a police escort. 

Another 800 Chinese nationals suspected of fraud will be escorted back into China in batches in the coming days, CCTV reported.

For years, criminal gangs have trafficked hundreds of thousands of people to scam compounds across Southeast Asia, including sites on the Thai-Myanmar frontier, forcing them to work in illegal online operations, the United Nations says.

This was the first group of Chinese nationals involved in fraud cases deported from Myanmar via Thailand, marking a milestone of international law enforcement, CCTV reported. - report from Reuters