Nepali police said on Tuesday that they had detained 122 Chinese nationals for suspected involvement in financial crimes.

"This is the first time that so many foreigners have been detained for suspected criminal activities," said Uttam Subedi, chief of police in Kathmandu.

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Targeted operation

Police seized laptops and passports during the raids. The suspects were held in detention centers across the Nepali capital.

The Chinese are suspected of carrying out cybercrimes and hacking into ATMs. Nepali officials said Chinese authorities were notified of the raids and offered support in cracking down on criminal activity committed by its nationals.

Nepali police said the suspects, eight of whom were women, had entered the country on visas.

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Crackdown on crime

Asian countries have made greater inroads towards dismantling Chinese criminal networks, which often take the form of unlicensed gambling operations.

In October, more than 800 Chinese men were arrested in Mongolia during an anti-money-laundering investigation. One month prior, more than 600 Chinese nationals were arrested in the span of a week in the Philippines for involvement in online gambling and cybercrime.

Read more: Huge international cybercrime ring dismantled

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ls/ (Reuters, AP)