Bangkok: Singapore police have arrested two Singaporean men, among 34 fugitives, on suspicion of involvement in a Cambodia-based online scam ring, after the two were apprehended in Cambodia and Thailand.

According to Thai News Agency, the Singapore Police Force issued a statement on November 16, 2015, that 27-year-old Wayne Soh You Chen was detained by foreign police in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, while 32-year-old Brian Sie Eng Fa was detained by foreign police in Khon Kaen province, Thailand. The two suspects were deported back to Singapore and were immediately arrested on November 16 on suspicion of being members of a crime gang based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and involved in a scam involving impersonating government officials to defraud Singaporeans.

The scammers are believed to have been involved in at least 438 government impersonation scams, causing at least S$41 million (US$32.4 million) in losses. The two suspects are the first in a string of 34 arrested, including 25 Singaporeans and seven Malaysians. Police will appear in court today to face charges of facilitating the commission of a serious offence and assisting the illegal activity of a person connected to an organised crime group under the Organised Crime Act 2015, which carries a maximum penalty of five years’ jail, a S$100,000 fine, or both.