20-plus Chinese nationals fleeing Myanmar scam compound shot at close range with AK-47s, CCTV documentary reveals
A screenshot of the documentary The Demise of Myanmar-Based Telecom Fraud. (Source: CCTV official weibo account)
A Chinese documentary has revealed details of a deadly shooting in Myanmar in which more than 20 Chinese nationals attempting to flee a telecom fraud compound were intercepted by armed Myanmar nationals and shot at close range with AK-47 assault rifles, leaving six dead and eight injured.
The incident took place on August 5, 2023, according to The Demise of Myanmar-Based Telecom Fraud, a documentary jointly produced by China’s Ministry of Public Security and China Media Group. It is scheduled to air on China Central Television (CCTV) from Monday to Wednesday.
The Chinese nationals had been working in a scam compound and decided to flee after being subjected to violent coercion, according to the documentary.
“We firmly believed we could make it out. We could return to China,” a survivor surnamed Wu recalled. “What we didn’t expect was that they opened fire directly.”
The armed personnel at the compound blocked the group as they attempted to escape and opened fire with AK-47 assault rifles at close range. The shooting continued for about 10 seconds, Wu said.
Some of the victims were seriously mutilated by the gunfire, according to the documentary.
Chinese police said their investigation identified a businessman named Lin Jian as the person who ordered the shooting. According to the documentary, Lin had obtained control of 30 Chinese nationals from Tenglong, a company associated with the Bai family, one of the four major criminal gangs in northern Myanmar, and brought them under his company, called Jinxin, where they were involved in investment fraud under a profit-sharing arrangement.
Investigators found traces of blood that appeared to have been cleaned from parts of the compound. They also extracted biological material from bullet fragments. The forensic evidence helped confirm the direction of the investigation, according to Chinese police.
With the assistance of law enforcement authorities in Myanmar, six Myanmar nationals accused of taking part in the shooting and burying the bodies, along with Lin, were apprehended between January and July 2024, according to the documentary.
The documentary, which chronicles China's efforts to fight against telecom fraud networks in northern Myanmar, also details the efforts to dismantle the four major criminal groups known in the region as the “four major families.” The three-episode documentary series offers an unprecedented look into the horrific reality of Myanmar cyber fraud networks, as well as China’s determination and relentless crackdown on notorious cross-border cyber-scam operations.