Border guards at the Bình Hiệp international border gate in the southern province of Tây Ninh carry out inspection procedures for 23 Vietnamese citizens handed over by Cambodian authorities on Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Phú

TÂY NINH — Authorities in the southern province of Tây Ninh received 23 Vietnamese citizens handed over by Cambodian authorities at the Bình Hiệp international border gate on Thursday.

The handover was coordinated by the Bình Hiệp border guard station, under the Tây Ninh Border Guard Command.

The 18 men and five women, from different localities across Việt Nam, had been identified by Cambodian authorities as being involved in suspected online scams and illegal employment, entry or residence in Cambodia.

Three of them had completed prison sentences in Cambodia and were repatriated with protection and assistance from the Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia.

Following the handover, border guards and police conducted screening and verified the identities, previous exits from Việt Nam and other relevant information of the returnees.

Initial verification found that 12 citizens had legally exited Việt Nam, while 11 had illegally crossed the border and one was being wanted by HCM City's police.

The border guards made a record of the arrest then handed over the suspect to HCM City's police for further investigation.

Four people found to have illegally crossed the border were fined a total of VNĐ23 million (about US$880) for illegally crossing the national border.

The remaining citizens were handed over to police in their respective localities for further verification and handling after completing repatriation procedures. — VNA/VNS