Things got lively in Houaxae village in Laos's Champasak province on the morning of September 18. Around 11:00 AM, provincial police teamed up with district and village officials to launch a surprise raid on a rented home, shutting down an online scam compound operating right in the neighborhood. The bust was made possible thanks to observant local residents who sensed something was off and alerted the authorities.
Police rounded up 22 Chinese nationals at the location, including one woman. The rental was packed with equipment, with officers seizing 49 desktop computers, 237 mobile phones, 27 computer CPU towers, seven power adapters, and various other items linked to the operation.
According to local media, the raid was led by the foreigner management department working alongside local staff. Houaxae is usually a quiet village, so locals quickly grew suspicious when a large group moved in, staying cooped up inside typing on keyboards all day and keeping the lights burning all night. An investigation into the case is currently underway.
