Former Thai policeman swindles gold shop, jailed for third time

A former Thai policeman was arrested in Bangkok on Friday night after he swindled a gold shop. The former policeman, 62 year old Thana Charoennakha, tricked a shop owner in northeast Thailand’s Mukdahan province.

Police said Thana first asked the shop owner for a bank account number so that he could transfer money to buy some gold ornaments. The owner checked with the bank branch and found the money had already been transferred into the account, and he gave the ornaments to Thana.

But later, the shop found that the money had not been deposited into the account. It turned out that Thana had fooled the shop owner by showing him a cheque payment and not a cash deposit. The owner then complained to the police, who tracked Thana down and arrested him at a house in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district where he had been hiding.

An arrest warrant was issued on September 7 for Thana for colluding in fraud. In questioning, he confessed to all charges against him. He told police that he used money he made from fraud to feed his gambling problem in a neighbouring country. He also admitted that he used the knowledge he had acquired from his police days to commit his crimes.

Thana had been arrested in the past for selling a Mercedes-Benz that had belonged to a man who had disappeared in 2007. Thana was accused of being involved in his disappearance. He was released in 2012, although the missing man still has not been found. Thana became involved in more fraud cases later and was arrested and convicted in 2015. Police said after he was released this year he committed more fraud in various parts of Thailand.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post