Crime

Chinese Woman Busted for Money Laundering, US$1 Million Rolls-Royce Seized

Following raids on 29 addresses linked to her in Bangkok, Pathum Thani, and Chon Buri, police arrested a Chinese woman for a variety of offences, including fraud and money laundering seizing her $1 million Rolls-Royce.

Fengpei Cai was apprehended in her luxury flat in Bangkok’s Lumpini district on Thursday, according to Pol Lt Gen Worawat Watnakhonbancha, chief of the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB).

She is expected to face allegations of international crime collusion, fraud, entering false data into a computer system, and money laundering.

Police also seized over 100 things from 29 sites associated to the suspect, including a 36-million baht Rolls-Royce, other expensive cars from Alphard and Mercedes-Benz, and documentation for 1.5 billion baht lease agreements.

According to Pol Maj Gen Sathit Prom-uthai, commander of CCIB Division 3, Ms Cai was a real estate agent in Thailand whose clients were predominantly Chinese.

He claimed that the Chinese woman and her colleagues divided up jobs in order to lure victims. He went on to say that she had tricked victims into investing in fake bitcoin schemes.

In a second instance, police searched three Bangkok addresses, including a room at a luxury condominium project in the Asok-Rama IX neighbourhood.

During their search, they detained Moe Moe Aye, a 24-year-old Myanmar national. She faces charges of fraud conspiracy, entering false information into a computer system, money laundering, and other offences.

The room contained 4.4 million baht in cash, 17 bank passbooks, and 16 ATM cards. The raids on the other two locations turned up nothing illegal.

The venues, according to authorities, were related to a phone fraud gang in which a member pretended to be a police commander in Tak province in order to trick victims into transferring money.

An examination of her transaction history revealed that Moe Moe Aye had withdrawn approximately 15 million baht for the gang and that approximately 87 million baht had moved through her accounts since the beginning of this year.

man hits rolls royce

Meanwhile, a 24-year-old man has stated that he will sell his pickup truck to assist the owner of a 31-million-baht Rolls-Royce with which he collided on August 13.

Sun Yuhan, 38, a Chinese businesswoman, was driving her Rolls-Royce Ghost when it was rear-ended by an Isuzu pickup truck driven by Pongthep Reunreng on Highway 7 in Chachoengsao’s Bang Pakong district. Ms Yuhan filed a police report and claimed compensation.

Mr Pongthep was summoned yesterday to Highway Police Station 2, Subdivision 8, to pay a 1,000-baht fine for careless driving. He also discussed damages with Ms Yuhan and her counsel, Anirut Khongsap. According to police, Mr Pongthep, backed by his lawyer Ratchapon Sirisakorn, confessed culpability for the incident.

Mr Pongthep stated that his vehicle insurance had expired and that he could not pay full compensation for the repairs.

According to Ms Yuhan’s lawyer, her insurance company will send Mr Pongthep the complete cost of the repairs within a few days. The preliminary estimate is at least 2 million baht. Mr Pongthep stated that the best he could do was sell his lone asset, an Isuzu D-Max pickup, and utilise the proceeds as compensation.

The Land Traffic Act requires drivers to keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front so that they can slow down and stop safely without colliding with it.

Mr Ratchapon speculated that car modifications may have hampered Mr Pongthep’s pickup’s braking capacity because skid tracks were only visible on one side of the road at the accident site.

According to the lawyer, Mr Pongthep should not have been driving so rapidly because his relatives and children were in the car with him. The insurance price for a Rolls-Royce car is allegedly around 400,000 baht and covers incidents worth up to 26 million baht.

rolls royce thailand

Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce is a British luxury automobile and aerospace manufacturer. The company was founded in 1904 by Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. It initially gained fame for its luxury automobiles, which are known for their exquisite craftsmanship, attention to detail, and high levels of comfort and performance. Rolls-Royce cars have become a symbol of prestige and wealth.

In addition to automobiles, Rolls-Royce is also a major player in the aerospace industry. The company produces engines for a wide range of applications, including commercial aircraft, military aircraft, and marine vessels. Rolls-Royce engines are known for their reliability, efficiency, and cutting-edge technology.

Rolls-Royce has a long history of innovation, and it has played a significant role in various engineering and technological advancements. The company’s contributions to aviation and aerospace have been particularly noteworthy, with its engines powering some of the world’s most iconic aircraft.

It’s important to note that Rolls-Royce is distinct from Rolls-Royce Holdings plc, the company responsible for aerospace and defense-related activities, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited, the subsidiary that manufactures luxury automobiles.

Crime

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

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

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

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.