A SUSPECT in a tax fraud that cost the government 650,000 yuan (US$102,000) is in custody in Shanghai after spending several years on the run in Laos, local police said yesterday.

　　The man, identified only as Liu, is accused of issuing about 40 fake VAT invoices between November 2012 and June 2013, before fleeing the country. A native of east China’s Anhui Province, he was working in Qingpu District at the time of the alleged crimes.

　　After years of investigation, police working under China’s “Fox Hunt” program — a campaign that seeks to repatriate suspects wanted in connection with economic crimes and corruption — last month traced Liu to Laos.

　　Using intelligence that suggested he had become tired of living a life on the run, officers succeeded in persuading him to return home and face the allegations, police said.

　　A team of police officers flew to Laos on Friday and returned with their suspect later the same day.

　　Liu’s alleged activities are connected to a broader investigation into a tax fraud worth more than 16 million yuan, police said.

　　Since April, more than 50 fugitives have been repatriated and detained by Shanghai police working under the Fox Hunt program.