A Chinese national has been arrested at a hotel in Bangkok on suspicion of impersonating a police officer and extorting millions of baht from Thai victims, following the earlier arrest of an alleged accomplice.
Police in Chachoengsao province, acting on a court-issued warrant, apprehended the suspect in his room at a hotel in the Huai Khwang district on Friday. Officers seized 5,484,200 baht in cash, along with three land title deeds and two vehicles, for further investigation.
The operation was led by Deputy Superintendent Suradech Nakmuak and Police Captain Jakrapat Khanuengnuek, under the direction of Chachoengsao provincial police commander Kriangkrai Boonson, deputy commander Kittisarn Chana, and Nit Witinanakit.
The case dates back to March 16, when a victim filed a complaint after receiving a phone call from an individual posing as a police officer. The caller alleged that the victim was implicated in a money laundering case and instructed them to transfer funds for verification.
Over the course of a six-hour conversation, the victim was persuaded to withdraw 1,826,800 baht from a bank and hand it over to the suspect.
A further transfer of 34,000 baht was subsequently made. The victim later realised they had been defrauded and reported the incident to authorities.
Investigators later arrested a suspect identified as Kan Ya, who was found to be residing in Thailand illegally.
Police said Kan Ya had been tasked with collecting the cash and delivering it to the Chinese suspect at the Huai Khwang hotel. The evidence obtained led to the issuance of an arrest warrant for the main suspect.
Region 2 deputy commissioner Chokchai Ngamwong visited the scene to oversee the investigation.
The suspect confessed to defrauding 1.8 million baht and has been charged accordingly.
