Police bring back 46 fugitives in ‘Fox Hunt’

Shanghai police said yesterday that 46 fugitives have been brought back to the city from about 20 countries and regions since a campaign began in the summer.

"Fox Hunt 2014" was launched in July by the Ministry of Public Security with the aim of bringing home corrupt officials and suspects in economic crimes who have fled abroad.

By December 1, police around the country had netted 428 suspects from 60 nations and regions.

Shanghai police said 20 of its fugitives had been arrested with the help of police where they were living, while 26 had been persuaded to return by police or the fugitives' families.

"We have allocated the best police officers and taken the most detailed measures for the Fox Hunt campaign," said Chen Zhen, deputy director of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau.

Shanghai police have established a special team for each suspect and worked closely with officers in other regions and countries.

"Eight suspects have been caught with the assistance of police in Hong Kong and Macau," Chen said.

Information technology has also played a vital role, added Chen. Minhang District police netted a suspect surnamed Cui in South Korea after using his and family members' mobile phone numbers to pinpoint his location, Chen said.

Among the most recent cases, Jiading District police arrested a suspect in a 12 million yuan (US$1.94 million) fake cheque scam, surnamed Sun, who fled to Hong Kong in August 2013.

Sun had refused to return to China when his wife and son tried to persuade him but was held by Indonesian immigration officials in Bali last month.

Jiading police then flew to Bali and brought Sun back to Shanghai.

Fox Hunt 2014 is intended to block the last route of escape for corrupt officials at a time when Beijing's major crackdown on graft has already narrowed the space for the abuse of power, Xinhua news agency reported.

Corrupt officials have been fleeing overseas since the late 1980s.

Although the number of fugitives and the sums involved has never been publicized, experts believe the trend has caused a large amount of money to flow out of China, most of which was acquired illegally, Xinhua said.