Jakarta, Aug 3 (IANS): Indonesia on Thursday deported at least 143 Chinese and Taiwanese nationals on charges of cyber-fraud, an official said.

The detainees were extradited to Tianjin, China, on Thursday morning, a spokesperson of the the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights told Efe news.

On July 29, at least 306 people, including Taiwanese, Chinese, Indonesians and Malaysians, were arrested in Jakarta and other cities in Indonesia in connection to the alleged fraud.

According to the police, the accused used computer experts to gather information on politicians and senior Chinese officials facing legal issues, then posed as law-enforcement officials and offered to help settle the cases in exchange for money.

It is estimated that the criminal organisation operating in Indonesia conned people out of a total of 6 billion rupiah ($450 million).

The extradition of Taiwanese citizens to the Chinese mainland by thirdparty countries has sparked diplomatic tensions between Beijing and Taipei in recent years, as the latter says the former does not have the jurisdiction to make an extradition request.