Malaysian man and Thai wife arrested in Bangkok for money laundering
Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) officers arrested a Malaysian man and his Thai wife today at a luxury house in Bangkok for running a money laundering operation for a gambling website.
The assistant to the Royal Thai Police (RTP) Commissioner, Thatchai Pitaneerabut, and the acting Commissioner of the CCIB, Trairong Phewphan, along with 20 other officers today, , December 17, raided seven suspicious locations in Bangkok and nearby provinces to search for suspects involved in money laundering.
During the raid at the luxury house in Bangkok’s Ratchaphruek area, officers apprehended two wanted suspects: a Malaysian man of Chinese descent named Kim Lim Hao and his Thai wife named Pattama.
Thatchai told Channel 7 after the arrest that the couple rented the luxury house to serve as the office for their company. The company was legally registered and operated multiple businesses, including entertainment venues and restaurants, in Bangkok and other provinces.
However, investigations revealed that some of these businesses were registered but never operated and did not generate profits.
Further examination of the company’s finances showed that it received funds from various other businesses, leading to over 1 billion baht in circulation. Officers discovered that some businesses transferring money to the company were connected to scam operations.
Police believe the company was laundering money for multiple gambling websites and may also facilitate illegal activities for various call centre scam gangs.
The Malaysian man was able to register the company legally with the assistance of his Thai wife, who held 51% of the shares while he held 49%.
The Thai woman claimed that her husband paid her over 100,000 baht per month but insisted she did not know about the company’s operations or its alleged illegal activities.
During the search of the luxury house, police confiscated designer handbags, watches, valuables, amulets, and 4 million baht in cash.
Officers plan to conduct further investigations to identify links to other scam gangs involved in the money laundering operation.
