Police bust Thai-Vietnamese mule account gang during Bangkok meetup
Police arrested a Vietnamese national and four Thai suspects in Bangkok on Monday, January 26, while they were meeting to purchase mule bank accounts for scam operations.
Officers from Sutthisan Police Station received a tip-off that a criminal gang involving Thai and Vietnamese nationals was persuading people to sell their bank accounts. Police believed the accounts were being used for online scam activities.
According to officers, the gang usually arranged meetings with bank account holders in the Sutthisan area. After reviewing CCTV footage, police discovered that the group frequently met at a coffee shop in Soi Pracharat Bamphen 5. The next meeting was scheduled for 10am on Monday.
Police placed the area under close surveillance and later spotted two suspicious men near Soi Ratchada 16. The pair attempted to flee when officers moved in but were quickly arrested. They were identified as 44 year old Thai man Kanok Kitjaroen and 34 year old Thai man Phuwanart In-na.
During questioning, both men confessed that they had opened new bank accounts for a Vietnamese man identified only as Por. They said they had arrived at the location to hand over the accounts to him.
Further investigation led police to other mule account holders, 51 year old Deuy Krasorn and 34 year old Sarawut Chanaphon. They were arrested at the scene along with Por. Police seized 562,000 baht in cash and 12 SIM cards from the Vietnamese suspect.
Por told police that he had been hired by a friend named Dongdee to manage mule bank accounts and coordinate with account holders. His role allegedly included accompanying them to withdraw money on behalf of the gang. The cash found on him had reportedly just been withdrawn from several banks.
The Thai suspects claimed they were paid 4,000 baht for providing mule accounts, while Por allegedly earned 25,000 baht per account for overseeing the process.
All five suspects were charged with conspiring to procure, advertise, sell, or lend bank accounts for use in cybercrime. The offence carries a penalty of two to five years’ imprisonment, a fine of between 200,000 and 500,000 baht, or both.
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