Crime

Top Police Chief Investigated Over US$4 Million Extortion Allegation

Published

1 year ago

June 18, 2023

Bchcomber

The provincial police commander in Thailand’s Chonburi province is one of eight senior officers removed from duty for allegedly conspiring with civilians to extort US$4 million (140 million baht) from online gambling suspects.

Thailand’s National police commander Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas ordered the transfer of the eight officers to the Royal Thai Police (RTP) operations command centre on Saturday, RTP spokesman Pol Lt Gen Archayon Kraithong told the Bangkok Post.

Pol Maj Gen Kamphon Leelaprapaporn, 54, is the chief of Chon Buri police; Pol Lt Col Narongrit Wasuphan is the deputy chief; Pol Lt Col Sathian Ratchapongthai is the deputy superintendent at Nong Kham station in Chon Buri; Pol Maj Pornthep Phetnuan is the investigation chief at Wang Chan station in Rayong; Pol Col Damrong Onta is the superintendent at the Cyber Investigation Bureau

According to Pol Lt Gen Archayon, Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, the deputy national leader, has been selected to head a special investigative panel that would look into the issue.

Investigators from Provincial Police Regions 1 and 2 will be on the panel, and they will be responsible with gathering evidence. Any officers found guilty would face quick and severe disciplinary action because the case has harmed police’s reputation, according to Pol Lt Gen Archayon.

Authorities are also looking into two civilians, Phisit “Tonne” Nakhisornpanee and Veera “Boy” Nasap, who are thought to be connected to the eight officers. They are accused of being assigned to deal with gambling suspects.

Warrants Issued for Police Officers

On Saturday, Pol Gen Surachate stated that he would seek court permission to arrest the eight officers and two civilians on Sunday. If the request is granted, the accused would be directed to the Royal Thai Police Sports Club on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road.

He stated that investigators would initially file accusations under Section 157 of the Criminal Code for public official wrongdoing and Section 149 for requesting or receiving bribes.

On Saturday, Pol Maj Gen Kamphon revealed that online gambling companies had filed a complaint against him. He stated that he would present the facts of the case to the national police head in a report.

The probe has made some headway. According to the spokesman, the financial records of the cops and six others suspected of involvement in online gambling enterprises are being reviewed for possible linkages.

Alleged Extortion

Six people filed a complaint with Pathum Thani’s Khu Khot police station on Thursday, claiming Pol Maj Gen Kamphon and his staff of attempting to extort 140 million baht from them. According to the complainants, at around 1pm on May 23, a team of Chon Buri police officers with warrants apprehended them during searches on three sites in Bangkok and Nonthaburi.

Some of the complainants were then escorted to Bangkok’s Khannayao police station before being taken to Chon Buri to meet with Pol Maj Gen Kamphon at his office.

According to social media posts, the Chon Buri chief was cited as telling one of the suspects, “There is a way out, Phae. How much do you adore the police chief? Make a note of it (the amount of money).”

According to Thai media accounts, Mr Phisit arrived shortly after that chat to resume the negotiations. According to reports, the suspect offered 20 million baht, but Mr Phisit demanded 120 million. They finally agreed on 65 million baht. Mr Veera then entered the room and instructed the suspect to pay Mr Phisit and he would handle the rest of the matter.

At around 11 p.m. on May 23, the arresting squad transferred the suspect from the Chon Buri headquarters to the Bang Lamung police station. The two civilians asked the suspect to contact acquaintances in order to bring 65 million baht, and the suspect was detained at the station overnight.

The suspect borrowed money from friends and family the next day. The money was allegedly provided to Mr Veera and Mr Phisit in two distinct locations: behind a housing development in Khu Khut, Pathum Thani, and behind a temple in Chiang Rai’s Mae Suai district.

Online gambling companies

After the money was given over, the arresting team took the suspect to Chon Buri’s Saensuk police station, where Pol Maj Gen Kamphon awaited. The suspect was eventually released.

Mr Phisit and Mr Veera later contacted another suspect who had fled abroad and sought 30 million baht. They also requested to be partners in his online gambling companies and demanded more money from him and his other partners.

The suspects eventually became tired of the shakedown tactics and decided to file a complaint against the police officers and the two civilians.

According to a police source, Pol Gen Surachate will study security camera footage from the Chon Buri chief’s office as well as sites that police raided and where extortion attempts allegedly occurred.

According to the source, one of the eight transferred officers has already reported to his immediate commander, CCIB commissioner Pol Lt Gen Worawat Watnakhonbancha. The last seven were expected to report at the RTP on Saturday.

The Chon Buri police chief was recently honoured by the national police chief. Recognising an internet photo, Pol Gen Archayont stated that it was shot at an event to honour outstanding police units around the country and was not handed to individual personnel. On February 18, all police in Chon Buri received an award for traffic management and road accident reduction over the New Year break.

Crime

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

Published

4 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

4 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

4 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.