Crime

Police Officer Arrested and Sacked Over Cyanide Killings in Thailand

Published

2 years ago

May 4, 2023

Bchcomber

A police lieutenant colonel who is the ex-husband of accused serial cyanide killer in Thailand has been sacked, arrested, and charged with various offences. He’s accused with receiving stolen goods, faking official documents jointly and utilizing forged official documents.

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Police personnel killed by cyanide poisoning Victims killed for their assets

Pol Lt Col Withoon Rangsiwuthaporn, deputy superintendent of Ratchaburi province, arrested yesterday. According to deputy national leader Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, Thailand’s national police chief has also expelled Pol Lt Col Withoon from the police force.

His dismissal and charges come after investigators learned that Pol Lt Col Withoon, 39, had picked up his former wife, 36-year-old Sararat “Aem” Rangsiwuthaporn, in Udon Thani following the murder of her partner Sutthisak “Dae” Phoonkhwan.

According to Pol Gen Surachate, the couple then drove Sutthisak’s white Chevrolet Captiva from the northeastern province to Nakhon Pathom and pledged it as loan collateral.

Sutthisak, a Ratchaburi native, died on March 12 in Udon Thani, after making merit with Ms Sararat at a local temple and dining with her at a restaurant, he passed out at a petrol station in Nong Han district.

Police personnel killed by cyanide poisoning

He was transported to Nong Han Hospital by rescuers. He was treated and eventually released, however he died later that day. After divorcing her spouse, Ms Sararat began dating Sutthisak. She was detained last month while four months pregnant.

Ms. Sararat remained to live in her ex-husband’s home notwithstanding the divorce. Pol Lt Col Withoon previously stated that they split due to financial concerns.

Sutthisak is believed to be one of 15 victims of Ms Sararat, poisoned with cyanide. According to the Bangkok Post, two policewomen, one a major and the other a captain, were killed. Fourteen arrest warrants have already been issued for Ms Sararat.

The suspected serial murders began in 2020 and continued until last month, when the latest victim, Siriporn Khwanwong of Kanchanaburi province, died on April 14 while making merit with Ms. Sararat in Ratchaburi’s Ban Pong area.

Police suspected Ms. Sararat of putting cyanide in Siriporn’s meals after finding cyanide in her body. The suspect fled the scene, taking Siriporn’s car and valuables with him.

police

Victims killed for their assets

Ms. Sararat, according to Pol Gen Surachate, desired her victims’ assets because she had amassed massive debts through credit card spending, informal lenders, and internet gambling. Police are still investigating her debts and her ex-husband’s financial situation.

Pol Lt Col Withoon previously told investigators that he occasionally gave money to his ex-wife to give out. When she made profits, she allegedly transferred the funds back to him, but the amounts were not large.

Investigators are also continuing to analyse evidence seized during a search of Pol Lt Col Withoon’s two-story police residence near the police flats in Kanchanaburi on April 26, the same day his ex-wife was arrested.

Officers were told at the time that Pol Lt Col Withoon used to stay in the house while working in Kanchanaburi before going to Ratchaburi province. Forensic officials recovered nine items, including Ms Sararat’s garments and a container containing a black substance discovered at a waste burning site about five meters from the residence.

During the search, Pol Lt Col Withoon reportedly expressed disbelief after learning what his wife was accused of, and stated that he was willing to cooperate fully with investigators.

On the same day, Provincial Police, local police, and forensic officials raided a townhouse in Nakhon Pathom’s Muang area after finding it belonged to Ms Sararat.

Her two children from her marriage to Pol Lt Col Withoon, a 13-year-old daughter and a 10-year-old boy, were inside the Monthathip housing estate. Inside the house, forensic officers collected evidence, as well as fingerprints and DNA samples from a Honda car and a motorbike.

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.

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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.

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.

Contents

Police called to home invasion Other Bangkok News:Police in Bangkok Discover Six Vietnamese Tourists Dead in 5 Star Hotel

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.

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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.