'Telecom Fraud Godfather' Xu Laofa on Trial: 14 Parks, 11 Billion RMB, Armed Protection Scam Empire Crumbles

From September 17 to 19, 2025, the Fifth Intermediate People's Court of Chongqing publicly tried a major cross-border telecom fraud case that attracted widespread attention. The defendant Xu Faqi (nicknamed "Xu Laofa") was charged with operating 14 fraud parks and defrauding over 1.1 billion yuan. This "telecom fraud godfather" from Myanmar's Kokang region finally faced justice. Xu Laofa's name sent shudders through the Kokang region. He held multiple positions: township chief of Zhazishu Township in the Xishan District of Myanmar's Shan State Kokang Autonomous Region, chairman of "Shengyuan Group," and commander-in-chief of the "Xinping Street Militia Team." Investigators revealed that Xu Laofa came from humble beginnings and accumulated capital through drug trafficking in his early years. In 2019, Xu Laofa sensed the "business opportunity" in telecom fraud and partnered with investors to establish "Shengyuan Group" for telecom network fraud. He gradually formed a criminal model of "using fraud to feed the military, using the military to protect fraud." In 2021, he took control of the "Xinping Street Militia Team," becoming a local armed force with over 400 militiamen. Under Xu Laofa's armed protection, "Shengyuan Group" rapidly expanded through fraudulent investment schemes, gradually forming a strict organizational structure of "group-park-company-team" with 14 scaled fraud parks covering 220,000 square meters. To manage and control fraud personnel, park administrators, under Xu Laofa's shelter, used torture, beatings, and "yellow, gambling, drug" means to coerce. Some were even killed for failing to meet "performance" targets. A returnee named Qing showed the scars on his wrists — he had his tendons sliced with bamboo strips because he was not skilled enough at fraud. In the Baobaozhai fraud park controlled by Xu Laofa, a Chinese national was intentionally killed and his body destroyed. "No matter how much effort or cost, we must find the truth and clear the victim's name," said Chen Yingping, Deputy Director of the Criminal Investigation Corps of Chongqing Public Security Bureau. Chinese police went to Myanmar's Kokang four times amid fighting, conducted joint investigations with Myanmar law enforcement, collected massive biological samples, analyzed 18,000 hours of video footage, and finally identified the victim and arrested the suspects. The documentary "The Fall of Telecom Fraud in Northern Myanmar" showcased investigators risking their lives to rescue trapped victims. The investigator's vow "If I go and don't return, then I won't return" moved many netizens, revealing the brutal reality of Myanmar's fraud parks as purgatory on earth. China's public security organs maintain high-pressure crackdown on telecom fraud crimes in northern Myanmar. If you or your relatives are trapped overseas, contact local police or Chinese embassies immediately. Never trust overseas high-salary job offers — verify employer credentials through official channels. Report fraud clues by calling 110 or using the National Anti-Fraud Center app.