Crime

Australian Father Hires Former Commando’s to Grab his Daughter in Thailand

Published

9 years ago

August 26, 2015

Bchcomber

QUEENSLAND – A heartbroken Australian father took the astonishing step of turning to a team of former special forces soldiers to find his daughter who was taken out of the country to Thailand.

Stuart Dempster, from Brisbane, Queensland, was distraught when his ex-wife disappeared with his little girl and he faced a two-year battle to try to have his daughter, Natasha, returned.

Stuart Dempster, from Brisbane, Queensland, was distraught when his ex-wife disappeared with his little girl and he faced a two-year battle to try to have his daughter, Natasha, returned

Increasingly frustrated that his efforts to bring the now seven-year-old home through government agencies, Mr Dempster decided he needed to take more drastic measures.

He enlisted the help of a specialised organisation, made up of a group of ex-soldiers, to bring her back from Thailand.

‘After each failed attempt, I just kept saying “I can’t give up, she’s too precious”,’ Mr Dempster told Daily Mail Australia. ‘I would have done anything for her, as any parent would for their child.’

Stuart Dempster, from Brisbane, Queensland, was distraught when his ex-wife disappeared with his little girl and he faced a two-year battle to try and have his daughter, Natasha, returned.

In January 2013, the Scottish-born hurdling coach who now lives in Queensland was shocked when he came home to find his home empty and his wife and daughter gone.

He was devastated to discover his wife – a Thai national – had abruptly left the country, taking their four-year-old daughter Natasha with her to live with her mother.

‘I came back to an empty house. I was calling and calling but no one answered their phone,’ Mr Dempster told the Daily Mail.

‘I was in a panic, I was trying to figure out why it was happening. I tried but I couldn’t get to the airport on time.

‘That was it, she was gone. Natasha was gone. We weren’t even given a chance to say goodbye.’

Natasha was taken from Australia to Thailand to live with her maternal grandmother.

For almost 18 months, Mr Dempster desperately chased down every lead – appealing for help from the police, government agencies and from any legal measures possible – but to no avail.

Mr Dempster was forced to take such drastic measures after a photo of his daughter being held in a remote Thailand village was uncovered by Child Abduction Recovery International (CARI) a group of former elite soldiers that works on international cases concerning children who have been taken.

He clutched onto hope, despite struggling with loneliness after losing his beloved daughter.

‘It was just a horrible feeling – returning to an empty, dark house for two and a half years,’ he said.

‘When I used to come home, I’d open the garage door and Natasha would be there jumping up and down, saying “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!”

Mr Dempster shares a close bond with his daughter Natasha and was devastated when she was taken away.

After months of planning, CARI was able to swoop in May this year and pluck young Natasha from the village and return her home.

The group also claimed Natasha’s family ignored repeated calls to return the young girl, and that Thailand Police were also contacted and refused to help.

‘It was insanely difficult to bring her home. There was little help from the law or government agencies. CARI is the real deal and the only ones who could help me. I’m so grateful the organisation exists,’ he said.

Mr Dempster faced countless major setbacks and lost thousands of dollars until he finally found a way to bring his little girl home.

‘The entire process was frightening. I had to confront all of my fears and just keep playing the brave card,’ said Mr Dempster.

‘The stakes were so high. Psychologically it was very stressful.’

He desperately wanted to make contact with his daughter to let her know he cared and loved her.

‘Natasha was told that she was leaving Australia for a week’s holiday, but was left wondering where Daddy had gone,’ Mr Dempster explained.

The turning point in his mission to bring his daughter home came when he made contact with the UK-based charity, which works with similar cases.

‘The organisation said Adam from CARI was the only one they trust,’ said Mr Dempster.

.The struggle wasn’t over though. It was an extremely delicate operation with many failed attempts between January 2014 – when Mr Dempster first came into contact with CARI – until Natasha was finally returned to Brisbane this year.

Natasha is back in Brisbane with her father. She is pictured on a plane before she was moved from Australia

CARI, which describes itself as a ‘under the radar’ group, was formed by ex-Australian Army member and police officer Adam Whittington.

Mr Whittington said the group, which he founded in 1999 with ’10 guys, mostly ex-special forces ‘, uses ‘elite military and specialised police experience’ to save children from potentially horrific outcomes.

‘We were just having beers in a pub and heard about a bad abduction story in Indonesia and one of us said, ‘let’s go help’ – it was a joke at first, but then we started thinking about it and how to do it… and it has sort of gone from there,’ Mr Whittington said.

‘We have seen some horrible, horrible conditions while travelling around the world children who have been kidnapped either by a parent, or in a lot of cases now, human traffickers for child prostitution.’

The controversial organisation is committed to returning children to their rightful homes.

‘In Stuart’s case, we got some information and did a stake out that led us to Natasha. We recovered her by waiting for the right, safe opportunity to arise, which in this case was when Natasha walked outside the house.,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.

Natasha, pictured as a little girl, with her dedicated father Stuart Dempster before she was taken

‘Stuart saw her, I gave him the green light and he ran over and picked her up. The bond between the two of them was incredible – you could see straight away in her face that she knew him.’

Mr Dempster says the moment he saw his daughter for the first time since her abrupt disappearance was ‘wonderful.’

‘It was so great to see her the first time after so long. She jumped into my arms,’ Mr Dempster agrees, explaining the immense relief he felt to see his little girl again.

But tracking her down was only half the battle, with Mr Dempster, Mr Whittington and Natasha forced to make their way across Thailand’s border in a boat before they could board a flight back to Australia.

‘We’ve done a lot of cases, and honestly the way the abductors acted in this one was completely selfish,’ Mr Whittington said.

‘Stuart was put through hell throughout all this, he did everything he could and was then left with no other choice but this to get his daughter back.’

Mr Whittington founded CARI in 2003 with ’10 guys, mostly ex-special forces’, and it uses ‘elite military and specialised police experience’ to return children from similar situations

Mr Dempster says the process was completely worthwhile and he is thrilled his daughter is happy and settled at home.

‘It was a heartbreaking process. I’m not a spiteful type of person, I did it because I knew I was doing the right thing for my daughter,’ he said.

‘I had to get through this bad part of it because I was doing it for the good.

‘I’m just so grateful she’s back in my life. I’m working to make sure she’s rehabilitated back into Australian life. I have people with me helping so I know and do everything I can to help her.

‘There were far more opportunities for Natasha at home with me in Australia than being stuck in that horrible place.’

Natasha was taken from Australia to Thailand in 2013 at the age of four. She is finally home, aged seven

Mr Whittington said: ‘It’s all about the children, that’s why we do this.’

He also described the amazing perseverance and ultimate success Mr Dempster had in getting his daughter back as ‘inspirational’ for other parents who have had their children taken.

‘It might take time, but your children are waiting and thinking of you,’ he said.

Mr Whittington has over 20 years experience working high profile missing person cases worldwide.

He was the lead investigator of an abducted and murdered British girl in Japan – one of the most high-profile abduction cases in Japanese history. Mr Whittington’s investigations helped identify a suspect who was subsequently sentenced to life in prison for eight rapes and murders of foreign women.

By Lucy Thackray and Liam Quinn For Daily Mail Australia

Operatives from Child Abduction Recovery International have recovered children in Indonesia, Egypt, Libya, Lebanon, Philippines, Japan, Russia, Pakistan, India, Turkey, Syria and UAE, as well as many other European, South American and African countries.

Crime

Police Officer Being Ordained at Temple Arrested for Running Scam Call Center

Published

2 months ago

July 20, 2024

Thomas3940

Police Officer Being Ordained at Temple Arrested

Police in Northern Thailand have arrested a fellow officer as he was being ordained at a temple in Ngao district of neighbouring Lampang province.

Pol Lt Col Bandit Khonkan chief inspector from the Hang Dong police station was disrobed and taken to the Chang Puak station in Chiang Mai. He was arrested on charges of running a call centre scam gang in Chiang Mai Province.

According to Thai Media Chiang Mai Provincial Police Region 5 obtained an arrest warrant for Pol Lt Col Bandit on Friday from the Chiang Mai Provincial Court for procuring illegal telecom equipment, setting up a station and using public airwaves to run a telecommunications business without permission.

Pol Lt Col Bandit reportedly told investigators that he was not the ringleader and was only a member of the gang with Chinese partners.

His arrest followed the apprehension of his 26-year-old daughter, Miss Wanuchapond, 26, and three others during raids at three housing projects in Chiang Mai on Friday, Pol Maj Gen Weerachon Boontawee, deputy chief of Provincial Police Region 5 told Thai media.

During the raids police police discovered around 12 GSM gateways, or SIM boxes, which are devices used for converting cellular networks into mobile phone numbers used domestically.

The chief inspectors daughter Miss Wanuchapond told the arresting officers that she was paid 8,000 baht a month at each of the three locations for renting thr rooms and monitoring devices.

She claimed she had no idea what the devices were and accepted the job because the pay was attractive.

Police investigators working with telecom regulators used a special tracking device to monitor the gang’s communications and learned that its base was in Myanmar opposite Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai.

The call center gang used the GSM gateways to make calls over the internet to scam people in Thailand out of million of baht.

The GSM gateways transmitting signals via SIM boxes to convert them into domestic phone numbers, duping victims into thinking they were being called from Thai government agencies.

Pol Maj Gen Weerachon said that each SIM box held 32 SIM cards, with a capacity of up to 300,000 calls a month. The seized devices had made fraudulent calls over 3.6 million times.

He said the their investigation is ongoing and they are working to track down the remaining conspirators, including Chinese and other Thai suspects.

Authorities are still deciding whether Pol Lt Col Bandit will be dismissed from the force, he said, adding that so far, no other officers are known to have been involved.

Police in Chiang Rai Launch Crackdown on Cyber Criminals in Golden Triangle

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Settha Thavisin has authorized the establishment of an emergency cyber center operated by the Royal Thai Police to combat transnational crimes committed by call center gangs along the Thai border in Chiang Rai province.

On July 19, Prime Minister Settha Thavisin directed the Center to combat information technology crimes. The Royal Thai Police (Royal Thai Police) will crack down on call center gangs in Myanmar, Laos, and along the border.

His directive comes as call center gangs ratchet up their scams to defraud people of their money, causing concern among Thais and jeopardizing the country’s economic and social stability.

Related Police News:

Machete Wielding Man Shot an Killed by Police in Chiang Rai

https://www.chiangraitimes.com/chiangrai-news/machete-wielding-man-shot-an-killed-by-police-in-chiang-rai/

Crime

Thai Immigration Police Arrest Colombian Tourists Over Home Invasions

Published

2 months ago

July 20, 2024

Thomas3940

Thai Immigration Police Arrest Colombian Tourist

Immigration police officers have arrested four Colombian nationals in connection with a series of home burglaries at luxury housing complexes in the Bangkok metropolitan area and Chiang Buri Province.

Pol Maj Gen Panthana Nuchanart, deputy commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, told a press briefing that three of the suspects were apprehended in Nonthaburi Province and the fourth in South Pattaya, Chon Buri Province.

According to the Bangkok Post, the Colombians were charged with stealing conspiracy and seized around 3 million baht (US$82,500.00).

According to Pol Maj Gen Panthana, the criminals rode motorcycles through housing estates, scoping out the properties and waiting for the owners to depart before committing their crimes.

He stated that all four of the accused denied any involvement in the home break-ins, but the arresting squad discovered evidence that implicated them.

Police called to home invasion

Meanwhile, police were dispatched to a luxury housing development in Tambon Nong Prue, Chonburi Province, after a Chinese man was attacked during a house invasion.

When they arrived, they discovered the house owner, Mr. Qian Peng Yi, visibly scared and with marks from being tied up with a cable. He informed police that three Chinese males broke into his home at 9 p.m., one of whom brandished a gun at him and directed him to his bedroom.

They bound his hands and feet, gagged him with fabric, taped his head, and forced him into the bed. The intruders then attempted to compel him into transferring 10 million baht in cryptocurrencies to them, endangering the life of his 33-year-old cousin who was in a second-floor bedroom.

While they scoured the house in search of riches, Mr. Peng Yi managed to flee and hide; he subsequently observed them leave with his cousin. Officials investigated the property and analyzed security camera footage from the incident and surrounding areas.

Around 9 p.m., a 30-year-old van driver came at the Bang Lamung police station after being contacted by an agency to carry Chinese customers from Pattaya to Suvarnabhumi Airport.

The driver informed authorities that he was supposed to pick them up at a motel about a kilometer from the Chinese businessman’s home. He then drove them to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport, arriving at 1 a.m. and receiving 1,800 baht.

The driver took a snapshot of the group smoking at the airport gate and identified one of them as the victim’s cousin. Police suspected coordination between her and the three suspects in her cousin’s heist, who all departed Thailand on the same aircraft.

Other Bangkok News:

Police in Bangkok Discover Six Vietnamese Tourists Dead in 5 Star Hotel

Police in Bangkok Discover Six Vietnamese Tourists Dead in 5 Star Hotel

Crime

Son of Thailand’s Leading Legal Scholar on Corruption Arrested for Running Online Gambling Network

Published

2 months ago

July 17, 2024

Thomas3940

The son of a former senator and leading economist and expert on corruption and gambling in Thailand has been arrested for on charges of running an online gambling network and its payment system.

Police from Thailand’s Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) have confiscated assets worth more than (US$ 11.1 million) 400 million baht.

Narote Piriyarangsan, 33, was arrested following crackdowns in three sites around the city, according to Pol Maj Gen Athip Pongsiwapai, commander of the police Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD).

Mr Narote’s father, Sangsit Piriyarangsan, is an economist who has written articles and books about corruption and gambling. He was one of the appointed senators that were investigating the government’s intention to legalize casino gaming before their terms expired.

Police also detained 39-year-old Narayut Narakaew, the owner of the gambling website 69pgslot.com. The Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for the couple for operating an internet gambling service and money laundering.

According to the Bangkok Post, police seized two desktop computers, one laptop computer, 14 mobile phones, 21 bank passbooks, 53 ATM cards, and four high-end cars — a Ferrari 926 GTS, an Aston Martin, a Lexus, and a Subaru — totaling more than 400 million baht.

Police launched the inquiry after discovering the online gambling site, which accepted funds via an automatic deposit-withdrawal system through bank accounts and deposits in the AskMePay system. Players scanned the VPay QR code as well as the QR codes for Heng Online 888 or Heng Pay Company.

Police also discovered that payments received via QR code scans were transferred to the account of Heng Pay Co and then to the gambling website’s mule accounts using AskMePay, which did not use banks’ face recognition scanning. An inquiry indicated a monthly turnover of approximately 5 billion baht.

According to investigators, the website has been up and running for around four years, with the payment mechanism in use for roughly eight months.

According to Pol Maj Gen Athip, Mr Narote owns the gaming website’s payment systems and is the director of Heng Pay Co. After gathering evidence, authorities requested arrest warrants for 14 people.

Thailand does not allow almost any kind of gaming. Even though the law doesn’t say anything specific about online gaming, it is still considered gambling. The country has pretty strict rules about gambling. Thai punters can bet on the national lottery and horse races, but they can’t bet on any other types of games.

But it’s not a secret that there is a huge illegal gaming business in Thailand, even though it’s illegal.

The illegal casinos, online betting shops, underground lotteries, and pop-up bookies that take bets on everything from cockfights to Muay Thai make a shadow economy that is worth billions of dollars every year.