Thai man arrested at Bangkok airport for baht luxury bag scam

Police at Suvarnabhumi Airport apprehended a 36 year old Thai man attempting to flee the country after allegedly scamming several individuals out of over 100 million baht through the sale of counterfeit luxury brand bags.

Thanawat’s arrest was executed by immigration police at the airport in Bang Phli, Samut Prakan, at 5pm yesterday, November 25. The arrest warrant had been issued by the South Bangkok District Court on November 22, charging him with fraud.

The police investigation team from Thonglor Police Station diligently gathered evidence, which led them to request an arrest warrant from the court successfully. The court reviewed the case and determined that there was sufficient reason to issue a warrant against Thanawat for fraud.

The Deputy Commander of the Immigration Bureau, Pantana Nuchanarat, and the Commander of Immigration Division 2, Cherngron Rimphadi, promptly directed their teams to act on the request from the investigators.

Once it was discovered that the suspect intended to escape the country via Suvarnabhumi Airport, the immigration authorities were notified. As soon as Thanawat checked in and approached the counter, the system flagged a warning, prompting the immigration officers to detain him immediately.

Pantasa Amrapithak, Superintendent of Thonglor Police Station, explained the drama.

“This suspect has had several complaints filed against him for defrauding victims through the sale of fake luxury bags.”

Further investigations revealed additional complaints filed at Lumpini Police Station related to bounced cheque cases, with damages reported at 70 million baht. These findings contributed to the Thonglor investigators gathering sufficient evidence to request the court’s approval for an arrest warrant, charging Thanawat with fraud, reported KhaoSod.

“The immigration police have successfully detained the suspect. We are in the process of bringing him in for questioning at Thonglor Police Station.”

In related news, a Mexican woman on holiday with her family in Phuket agreed to return a luxury watch worth about 200,000 baht to a Thai woman, stating that she thought it belonged to a family member and mistakenly took it from Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok.