Chinese call centre scam: Bangkok police arrest 4 more men
A coordinated crackdown on a suspected call centre scam network culminated in the arrest of four Chinese men in Bangkok. Police carried out raids across eight locations in the city yesterday, December 27, targeting areas in Bang Na, Makkasan, Lumpini, Huai Khwang, Hua Mak, and Din Daeng.
Metropolitan Police Bureau chief investigator, Theeradej Thamsuthee, spearheaded the operation. During the raids, officers apprehended four Chinese nationals between the ages of 29 and 32. The men were detained at a condominium in Bang Na Tai, where officers also seized three laptop computers and a flash drive.
Siam Boonsom, the commissioner of the MPB, reported that the group faced multiple charges. Three of the men were accused of being in the country illegally and gathering unlawfully. The fourth suspect was charged with failing to report his residence or hotel location to immigration police within the required 24-hour period after arrival.
This crackdown is not the first in recent days. Earlier this week, a 19 year old Chinese man, Tan Minghong, was arrested under similar circumstances. During his arrest in Hua Mak, police confiscated eight new-model SIM boxes and other items from his rented condominium.
Investigators linked the information from Tan Minghong’s apprehension to the arrest of the four men yesterday. Despite being questioned, the first three suspects denied all charges, maintaining their presence in Thailand was solely for tourism. However, they failed to provide any photographic evidence of their travels within the country.
“During questioning, the first to third suspects denied all charges. They claimed they had entered Thailand as tourists.”
Police revealed that the suspects allegedly earned money through a gambling website, with no legitimate employment records in China. Additionally, the men could not produce their passports, claiming they were retained by a tour agency. The fourth suspect, however, admitted to the charges against him, reported Bangkok Post.
“The investigators had targeted the eight locations as all were linked to alleged Chinese scammers operating in Thailand.”
