Mongolia detains 800 Chinese citizens in money laundering case

Police in Mongolia have detained more than 800 Chinese men and seized hundreds of hard drives as part of a money laundering investigation, authorities said.

The arrests were made on Tuesday in four different offices and hotels in Ulaanbaatar where the men were living and working, said Gerel Dorjpalam, general director of the Mongolian General Intelligence Authority.

More than 1,000 personal computers and 10,000 mobile phone SIM cards were also found in the raids, Dorjpalam said Wednesday. The police said the money laundering operation was likely linked to online gambling.

The 800 Chinese citizens, who arrived in Mongolia on tourist visas in August, will be deported back to China because Mongolia has no facility to hold all of them, police said.

Only the organisers of the money laundering operation -- four Chinese citizens and one Mongolian man -- are under investigation, Dorjpalam said.

The Chinese embassy offered to cooperate with the investigation.