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Police Take Down Illegal Gambling Sites With $1.3 Million in Circulation

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Police Take Down Illegal Gambling Sites With $1.3 Million in Circulation

Police have arrested 5 alleged administrators of an online gambling network with more than $1.3 million dollars in circulation in the northern province of Chiang Mai, yesterday provincial police reported.

Officers from Provincial Police Region 5 raided a condominium unit in Chiang Mait and a residence in Saraphi district on Friday after receiving reports of unlawful operations related to the Bioclub online gaming website at the locations.

Police, armed with a search warrant, arrested three people at the condominium: Tiwanont, 26, Thanakorn, 23, and Natcha, 22. They admitted to being website administrators and informed police that they also ran the Prettygaming168 and GK168 gambling portals.

The raid uncovered four laptops, three mobile phones, and other stuff. The three suspects told police that the three websites processed approximately 50 million baht per month and cited another person, Piyapong, as their boss.

Mr Piyapong, 29, was discovered at the Saraphi home with a lady known as Achirayan, 28, who is reported to have been a recruiter. The second site also seized two laptop computers, seven mobile phones, and two bank passbooks and ATM cards.

Mr Piyapong and Ms Achirayan admitted to being administrators of four gambling websites: Bioclub, Prettygaming168, GK168, and Ramen88. All five accused were held pending further judicial processes.

Police inspector busted in gambling den raid

Police inspector busted in gambling den raid

Meanwhile, a police raid on a gambling house in Phuket’s central Muang area on Friday resulted in the arrest of thirty-two gamblers, with rumors indicating that a police inspector was among those nabbed.

Around 1 a.m., a team of officers from Muang Police Station raided the gambling den on the second floor of a commercial building on Chanacharoen Road in Tambon Talad Yai. When the law enforcement officers arrived, the people tried to flee but were unsuccessful.

During the raid, the team apprehended 32 gamblers, both male and female, and recovered gambling equipment and 1,700 baht in cash. Everyone was transported to Muang Station for legal action.

Pol Col Prathueng Phonmana, chief of Muang police, said the raid was part of an investigation into illicit gambling activities held there.

According to a source, one of the gamblers was a Provincial Police Region 8 inspector. A fact-finding investigation was underway to determine the officer’s role.

Police inspector busted in gambling den raid

Gambling in Thailand

Thailand’s Gambling Act of 1935, which forbids land-based casinos, primarily prohibits gambling in the country. However, some exceptions exist, such as horse racing and the national lottery. Online gambling remains absolutely outlawed, despite a growing demand for digital gaming systems.

Thailand has strong gambling laws that restrict most forms of betting. While the Thai government runs the lottery and authorizes horse racing betting, all other forms of gambling are outlawed.

Illegal gambling networks present substantial concerns in Thailand, contributing to social problems and criminal activity. The subterranean nature of illegal gaming businesses promotes money laundering, corruption, and exploitation.

Furthermore, the absence of regulatory monitoring in illicit gaming enterprises raises questions regarding consumer protection and fair play. Despite this, illegal gaming persists in many forms across Thailand, posing hurdles for law enforcement.

The argument over allowing casinos in Thailand has gathered traction in recent years. Advocates say that establishing casinos will increase revenue and job prospects in the country.

However, conservative societal values and a strong Buddhist influence present considerable barriers to any future improvements in the gambling sector.

Thailand continues to tightly restrict online gambling, with the government taking stringent steps to combat unlawful betting activities.

The gaming business in Thailand is evolving, with conversations about prospective regulation reforms and the legalization of certain types of gambling.

Thailand has recently been the focus of heated debates over the legalization of casinos and the country’s general gambling scene. Let’s look at the numerous viewpoints that contribute to the ongoing arguments.

 

Crime

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

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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/

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Crime

Thai Immigration Police Arrest Colombian Tourists Over Home Invasions

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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

 

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Crime

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

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thailand, 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.

Related News:

Thailand’s Cyber Crime Police Raid Top Cops Home Over Gambling Websites

Thailand’s Cyber Crime Police Raid Top Cops Home Over Gambling Websites

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