Seventy-seven Chinese, including 45 Taiwan residents, have been repatriated from Africa and are being investigated for suspected telecommunication fraud, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said on Wednesday.

An Fengshan, the office's spokesman, said at a regular news briefing that in recent years, wire fraud criminals from Taiwan have obtained more than 10 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) yearly from the Chinese mainland. Only 200,000 yuan has been recovered, he said.

"The case is considered China's first large-scale repatriation from Africa of telecom fraud suspects," said a senior official of the Ministry of Public Security who requested anonymity.