GUANGZHOU, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- A total of 47 telecom suspects, some of whom were repatriated from Malaysia in 2016, have stood trial in Zhuhai in south China's Guangdong Province.

On Thursday and Friday, two groups of suspects stood trial separately in Xiangzhou district of Zhuhai, the district people's court said.

Among the 47 suspects, 19 are from Taiwan, the court said.

Prosecutors said the suspects impersonated bank staff, police officers and procuratorates staff, and swindled money from people in Malaysia. One of the prime suspects also organized people to commit fraud from within China, prosecutors said.

The suspects swindled 42 people out of a total of 7.1 million yuan, prosecutors said.

The court is yet to announce the verdict.

According to China's Criminal Law, those convicted of telecom fraud can get sentenced to up to 15 years in prison.

In the first nine months of 2017, Chinese prosecutors nationwide indicted 22,268 people in 8,257 cases involving property violations via the Internet or telecommunications.

A Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) investigation department statement has called for quicker efforts to deal with cyber and telecom fraud, and to tackle the problem at its roots.