THAI POLICE ARREST MALAYSIAN MAN OVER 3.3 MILLION BAHT FRAUD

By Kenny Teng Khoon Hock

BANGKOK, Nov 9 (Bernama) -- A Malaysian man was arrested by the Thai police on Friday for allegedly impersonating a government official and defrauding a victim of more than 3.3 million baht (approximately RM426,000) in cash.

Commander of Metropolitan Police Division 2, Pol Maj Gen Kiattikul Sonthanan, said the 26-year-old suspect was apprehended in Bangkok’s Don Mueang district after an arrest warrant was issued by the Thonburi Criminal Court on November 7 for joint fraud and impersonation.

Kiattikul said the suspect, identified as Tan from the state of Sabah in East Malaysia, was arrested at a hotel on Soi Saranakhom 3 in Don Mueang.

“Police also seized the clothes he wore during the crime, a black backpack, two mobile phones, one empty AIS (Application Identity Module) SIM card envelope, four unused Singapore SIM cards, one blank SIM card, and three foreign debit cards,” he said in a statement issued late Saturday.

The arrest followed a complaint filed by a 70-year-old victim, who reported receiving a phone call from a person claiming to be a police officer from the Mueang Khon Kaen Police Station, alleging that the victim’s bank account was linked to mule accounts and money laundering.

The suspect then sent messages, fake documents, and initiated a video call to discuss the victim’s assets, instructing her to prepare them for ‘inspection’.

“Believing the call to be genuine, the victim withdrew cash, sold personal belongings, and gathered a total of 3.3 million baht to hand over,” he said.

Kiattikul said the victim only lodged a police report after realising that the money had not been returned as promised.

He added that investigators from Don Mueang are coordinating with Thung Khru district police to expand the probe and track down other members of the fraud network.

-- BERNAMA