BEIJING - Chinese police tied up 149,800 cases of economic crime in 2013, with 49.3 billion yuan ($8.1 billion) recovered, the Ministry of Public Security said on Thursday.

The ministry stepped up efforts to hunt down suspects who had fled overseas in 2013, with more than 150 such suspects captured.

The ministry launched several campaigns against counterfeiting, pyramid schemes and invoice crimes in 2013.

An official with the ministry said that economic crime is still "active" and the combat against such crime is still "arduous" and "complicated."

The ministry will improve the capacity to fight economic crime and carry out systematic campaigns in the future.

The public are welcome to report tip-offs, and will be rewarded if successful prosecution results, the official added.