WUHAN, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Fifteen Chinese fugitives on Friday were flown to central China's Hubei Province on a chartered flight from Vietnam.

The fugitives, who arrived at the airport of Wuhan, capital of Hubei, on Friday evening were suspected to have engaged in illegal consultancy on securities investment, according to Hubei's public security department.

The department hailed it as the first joint mission by the Chinese and Vietnamese police to escort fugitives of economic crimes using a chartered flight in recent years.

The suspects were nabbed in a raid by Vietnamese police earlier this year. They were suspected to offer illegal advisory services via the Internet to the Chinese public.

Police said some gangs have been moving their illegal activities abroad as China tightens crackdown on economic crimes in recent years. In response, the Chinese police are working closely with neighboring countries to launch joint law enforcement missions.