Chinese swindler sent back from Mongolia to face trial

A Chinese fugitive on the run in Mongolia since 2005 after cheating 159 laborers with fraudulent promises of well-paid jobs has been extradited to face trial, said Chinese police on Tuesday.

Earlier this month, Mongolian police apprehended Tao Maoqiao and transferred the suspect to Chinese police in accordance with an agreement between the two countries, said Yin Weidong, a spokesman with the Hefei Bureau of Public Security in central China's Anhui Province.

According to a police investigation, Tao went to Anhui in 2004identifying himself as a military attache with the Chinese embassy in Mongolia and promised construction jobs there -- charging the workers 2.3 million yuan (355,000 U.S. dollars) in service fees.

But when the workers arrived in Mongolia, they lacked proper documentation to work legally. The workers turned to the Chinese embassy in Mongolia for help to return home after they lost contact with Tao. The victims later reported the case to the Anhui police.

Tao, who was escorted back to Hefei on Monday, said his life on the lam was distressing.

Source: Xinhua