Crime

Swede Finally Arrested for the Murder of Robert Hollick in Pattaya

Published

10 years ago

August 9, 2014

Bchcomber

Robert Hollick’s mother, Anne Hollick, is thrilled her son’s alleged murderer has finally been charged.

STOCKHOLM – Two years after talking his way out of a Thai police cell, the alleged killer of Robert Hollick is back behind bars in Sweden and the Thai Government has apologized to the slain man’s family for letting him flee.

Robert Hollick, 43, was stabbed to death at a bar in tourist hot spot Pattaya in 2012.

ARRESTED IN SWEDEN: Andreas Ringvall

After the frenzied attack, which was sparked by an argument about Hollick’s dog, Thai police arrested and charged Swede Andreas Ringvall with his murder.

But Ringvall left the country two months later in unusual circumstances, after paying 500,000 baht, almost $20,000, in bail.

After repeated inquiries by Hollick’s family, Thai authorities announced an investigation into Ringvall’s disappearance, and said an extradition request would be made to Sweden.

Further investigations last year revealed Ringvall had changed his name to Andreas Karlsson, and had begun a new life in the small town of Nynashamn, where he was working as a laborer.

This week, Stockholm police confirmed they had arrested Ringvall on July 29 and charged him with murder.

Hollick’s mother, Anne, said Swedish authorities had contacted her last week to tell her of the arrest. They said a homicide detective was on his way to Thailand to gather evidence, and she had been assigned a lawyer to represent her if she decided to go to Sweden for the trial.

She said this was not an option, however, as she had been trying hard to erase any thoughts of Ringvall from her memory.

“There’s no way I would want to go, I just don’t want that person in my head.

Robert Hollick, 43, was stabbed to death

“I’ve had two years to try and get rid of it, but if I start thinking about it and talking about it, it pops up again.”

Despite this, she said she was thrilled that Ringvall would have to face justice. “I’m pleased, relieved a bit, because the thought of him living as an ordinary Swedish citizen, just living his life like nothing happened . . .”

Intranee Sumawong, executive director of international affairs at the office of the Thai attorney-general, said last night: “I really would like to send a message to [Hollick’s] family that we are very sorry about the situation. We feel responsible and, as the public prosecutor of Thailand, I will do my best to make sure justice is done in this case.”

She said the attorney-general sought to extradite Ringvall, but Swedish authorities refused, claiming its law prohibited extradition.

However, Sweden agreed with Thailand’s request to pursue the case and had arrested Ringvall as a result.

“We are very pleased about that. The arrest is the most important thing.”

Stockholm police spokesman Kjell Lindgren said a court had decided Ringvall would remain in custody until an August 14 bail hearing. – By SHANE COWLISHAW

STORY SO FAR

August 21, 2012: Robert Hollick is stabbed three times in the neck and dies after a bar fight in Pattaya. Swedish man Andreas Ringvall is arrested and charged with murder. His girlfriend is also detained but later released.

August 24: Ringvall is granted bail after paying 500,000 baht (more than $20,000 at the time) and given his passport, but the immigration service is told not to let him leave the country.

August 27: Documents released under the Official Information Act show an unknown person calls the New Zealand embassy in Bangkok and says he has heard Ringvall will try to abscond while on bail. The embassy tells the person to contact police and makes its own inquiries, but has little success.

October 28: Ringvall is granted permission by the Pattaya court to leave Thailand for two weeks. He flies to Sweden and fails to return.

November 19: The New Zealand embassy formally asks the courts for information, but finds out little.

December 14: A warrant is issued in Thailand for Ringvall’s arrest, and his bail guarantor is fined.

Late December: Hollick’s mother, Anne, hears from a friend of her son that Ringvall has fled Thailand.

January 2013: The Thai ambassador to New Zealand writes to reassure Anne Hollick he will look into the matter.

June: After repeated inquiries by The Dominion Post to Thai and Swedish authorities, Thai Interpol decides to request the extradition of Ringvall from Sweden, or that he be tried for murder in his homeland.

July 2013:The Dominion Post reveals Ringvall has changed his name and is living in a small fishing village, working as a labourer.

July 2014: Swedish police arrest Ringvall and charge him with murder.

Crime

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

Published

7 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

7 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

7 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.