Chinese woman accuses Thai police of 7 million baht extortion
A Chinese woman accused Thai police officers in Bangkok of extorting 7 million baht from her. However, several Thai nationals came forward to accuse the Chinese woman of operating an investment scam.
The woman, identified only as Yujin, released a livestream video alleging corruption by officers at Prawet Police Station in Bangkok and urged her followers not to travel to Thailand, claiming the country was dangerous.
Yujin later sought help from Atchariya Ruangrattanapong, president of the Help Crime Victim Club, to pursue justice. Atchariya submitted a formal complaint to the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Siam Boonsom, yesterday, January 13.
In an interview with Amarin TV, Atchariya explained that Yujin arrived in Thailand in December 2023 with four family members and stayed at a hotel in the Bang Rak neighbourhood of Bangkok.
During her stay, a Singaporean man approached her in the hotel lobby to discuss a business matter. While they were talking, officers from Prawet Police Station arrived and summoned her to the police station for questioning. Yujin believed that the Singaporean man was also involved in the extortion.
At the station, officers allegedly demanded 70 million baht from Yujin, claiming she owed money to a Thai woman named Nichapa. Yujin insisted to Atchariya that she did not know Nichapa and had never met her. She maintained that this was her and her family’s first visit to Thailand.
The police reportedly threatened to detain her if she refused to pay. Yujin eventually negotiated the amount down to 7 million baht, which she paid in cryptocurrency.
Repeated extortion
Yujin returned to her home country as scheduled but refused to abandon her pursuit of justice. She returned to Thailand in August last year to press charges against the officers from Prawet Police Station.
She reported the matter to Phayathai Police Station and Bang Rak Police Station. However, she was allegedly extorted again, this time by officers from Bang Rak Police Station, who reportedly demanded 260,000 baht as an operational fee for processing her complaint.
Atchariya called on Commissioner Siam to ensure justice for the Chinese woman and urged the Thai Prime Minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, to address corruption and scams targeting foreign tourists in Thailand.
In response, officers from Prawet Police Station claimed that Yujin was accused by Nichapa of defrauding her of 30 million baht through an investment scheme via a mobile application. Nichapa alleged she was unable to withdraw either her investment or the promised returns.
Nichapa reported the issue to Prawet Police Station, prompting officers to summon Yujin for questioning. The police claimed that Yujin and Nichapa resolved the matter privately and later informed the officers they had reached an agreement.
The police also stated that more victims of Yujin’s alleged investment scam came forward to file complaints against her.
As of now, the case remains under investigation by the Metropolitan Police Bureau to determine which party is telling the truth.
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