Swift police action follows tragic suicide of student scammed by iPhone fraud gang in southern Thailand

The tragic suicide of a female grade 12 student from a school in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province has prompted a swift response from law enforcement agencies.

The student chose to end her life in her bedroom on Sunday night, October 15. Police guess that she was under extreme stress after falling prey to a fraud gang that enticed her to buy an iPhone on a high-value instalment plan of 18,500 baht.

An expedited investigation to apprehend the fraudsters was launched today by several high-ranking officers including: Police Lieutenant General Chirin Kopattana, Commander of the Special Operations Unit 5, Police General Tosak Sukvimol, Police Commissioner, Police Major General Thana Choowong, Deputy Police Commissioner, Police Major General Vorawat Wattanakornbancha, Special Operations Chief and Police Lieutenant Colonel Amnat Traipoj, Deputy Special Operations Chief.

Police Lieutenant General Chirin Kopattana confessed the suicide was a heartbreaking situation.

“The victim, a young grade 12 student, decided to take her life after being duped out of her money by this fraudulent gang.”

The case was transferred to the Special Operations Unit due to the public’s interest and the organised nature of the criminal gang.

The victim’s family yesterday filed an online complaint at Ko Thawat Police Station.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the fraudsters operated in four different provinces, with the first being in Chaiyaphum province.

Police Lieutenant General Chirin revealed that the second fraud gang is under investigation by the Special Operations Unit 5 detectives at the Special Operations headquarters, whilst the other three groups are based in Chiang Rai province.

“During the initial probe, it was found that the criminal gang had set up four consecutive bank accounts. The first one is located in Chaiyaphum province.

“The detectives from Special Operations Unit 5 are currently summoning the account holder for questioning at the headquarters. The remaining three accounts are located in Chiang Rai province, and investigations are ongoing.”

Pol. Lt. Gen. Chirin also mentioned that the money is still in the fourth account and there has been no movement yet. The fraudsters are preparing to transfer it to a destination in Myanmar.

Today, detectives are gathering evidence to present to the court for arrest warrants, reported KhaoSod.

If you or anyone you know is in emotional distress, please contact the Samaritans of Thailand 24-hour hotline: 02 713 6791 (English), 02 713 6793 (Thai), or the Thai Mental Health Hotline at 1323 (Thai). Please also contact your friends or relatives at this time if you have feelings of loneliness, stress, or depression. Seek help.

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