reader Posted March 21, 2023 Posted March 21, 2023 From Pattaya News By Tanakorn Panyadee An Indian man and his Thai wife have been taken into custody by Pattaya Police today for allegedly scamming multiple American victims of over three billion baht. Deputy National Police Chief Pol. Gen. Torsak Sukwimol, accompanied by a commando unit and officers from the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB), conducted a raid on a house in Pattaya’s Banglamung district today, March 21st, at 10 AM. The raid was prompted by a notification from the United States Embassy, which stated that the dwelling was being used as a hideout by scammers. After searching the house, Gen. Torsak told The Pattaya News that he has arrested an unidentified Indian national aged between 50-60 years old and his Thai wife aged around 40-50 years old. The two have been accused of duping numerous American citizens of over three billion baht in total damages and had fled to Pattaya, according to the United States Embassy. Gen. Torsak said police seized several car keys, bank account books, smartphones, and weapons from the two suspects. A press briefing will be hosted at 10 AM tomorrow, March 22nd, to provide further details about the case. =========================== Chinese Woman Abducted for 4.7 Million Baht Ransom in Pattaya A Chinese woman has been abducted while getting her kid at a school in Pattaya. Her husband filed a complaint with the police, saying the suspects wanted 4.7 million baht in exchange for his wife’s freedom. Mr. Ma Mingshan, 33, visited the Pattaya Police Station to file a report yesterday, March 20th. He said his wife, Ms. Shan Qi Qiang, 33, has been taken away by anonymous abductors while she was going to get her 3-year-old son at an international school in Pattaya. Mingshan said the suspects forced their way into his wife’s SUV Nissan Terra and abducted her along with the vehicle. They then contacted him via WeChat and ordered him to transfer 1 million yuan, equivalent to 4.7 million baht, to them. The incident happened in Soi Chaiyaporn Pranimit 21 in Pattaya. Police are working with Mingshan to try to liberate the hostage. The Chinese husband revealed the abductors frequently called him yesterday to demand money, asking him to pay in stable cryptocurrency. The man already transferred about 500 USDT stable coins (about 17,140 baht), while the suspects wanted about 150,000 USDT. The wife, according to police, is safe as the suspects let her talk with her husband via WeChat. However, her location is still unknown. The motive behind the kidnapping is believed to be related to a conflict of interest between Mingshan and the suspects involved in the healthcare business in Myanmar. Pattaya Police said all involved parties probably know each other. The victim’s car was ditched in the middle of a deserted field, police said. vinapu 1 Quote
reader Posted March 22, 2023 Author Posted March 22, 2023 From Pattaya News UPDATE: Pattaya Police Holds Press Briefing into Massive Indian Scam By Tanakorn Panyadee Five Indian phone scammers and 15 Thai accomplices were arrested following a major scam bust yesterday across Thailand. The suspects swindled 365 American retirees out of over three billion baht, according to police. The raids carried out by the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB), police commandos, and officials from the Anti-Money Laundering Office struck 36 premises in Chonburi, Rayong, Roi Et, and Surat Thani, and resulted in the arrest of over 20 phone scam suspects. Pol. Gen. Torsak Sukwimol, deputy national police chief, told a press briefing today, March 22nd, that the suspects mainly targeted elderly American citizens and had tricked 365 people into transferring them three billion baht. The Royal Thai Police are joining forces with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and US Secret Service to hunt for 16 remaining fugitives. On Tuesday, March 21st, Pattaya Police arrested one Indian alleged scammer and seized from him 162 bank account books, 61 smartphones, two cars, and one firearm. According to Gen. Torsak, a group of Indian and Thai nationals formed a call center gang to scam retirees in the United States. The group swindled money from the victims by saying the victims were involved in legal cases, posing themselves as FBI officers, or hacking the victims’ computers. Between 2020-2021, there were 72,000 reported cases with damages totaling more than 3 billion baht. The victims varied in occupations, such as doctors, university professors, dentists, military personnel, and business owners, Gen. Torsak said. Most of them were swindled out of their hard-earned life savings. The syndicate operated as a network with different roles to move and hide the assets obtained from their criminal activities. They used Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, Peru, and Poland as sources for stashing the scammed money. After investigating and collecting digital evidence, police discovered that there was more than 1 billion baht circulating within the scam gang’s network. Bank accounts belonging to legal entities within the network, as well as gold shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues in Chonburi were also found to have been used to launder money. ========================== From The Thaiger Police nab Chinese kidnapper at airport Police arrested a Chinese man before he boarded a flight out of Thailand last night. He is one of three men who abducted a Chinese woman and her brother-in-law in Pattaya on Monday for a ransom of 4.7 million baht. The two hostages were saved by police and returned home at 2am today. On Monday, 33 year old Ma Mingshan from China reported to the police that his 33 year old wife San Qi Qiang and his 50 year old brother were abducted from their Nissan car on Pornpranimit 21 Road, on their way back from dropping his three year old son at school. vinapu and Marc in Calif 1 1 Quote
