Russian wheeler-dealer busted for shady bike rentals in Krabi
Police arrested a Russian man for illegally operating motorcycle rental shops in the southern province of Krabi, using Thai nationals as nominees.
Officers from the Krabi Immigration Office, the Revenue Office, and Tourist Police received a tip-off about multiple illegal vehicle rental shops in the province. These shops were reportedly operated by foreign nationals. The officers spent more than three months investigating and identifying the shops involved.
Yesterday, March 11, officers raided four suspicious locations and arrested four suspects, both foreign and Thai. The suspects included 43 year old Russian man Evgeny Khamitov, 43 year old Thai woman Nattakwan Pongphanlop Lucas, 48 year old Thai man Phanlop Iam-chan, and 52 year old Thai woman Suphaporn Taeng-on.
The Russian man was identified as the owner of the rental shops, while Nattakwan was employed as a real estate administrator. The other two Thai nationals, Phanlop and Suphaporn, acted as nominees, allowing the Russian national to operate businesses under their names.
Investigations revealed that the rental shops in question primarily targeted foreign customers, particularly Russian nationals. Money earned from clients was found to have been transferred to the bank accounts of the Russian man.
The three Thai nationals were charged under Section 36 of the Foreign Business Operator Act for assisting a foreign national in operating a business without a permit or holding business shares on behalf of a foreigner. The penalty for this offence is imprisonment for up to three years, a fine ranging from 100,000 to 1 million baht, or both.
According to a report by Naewna, the Russian man was charged under Section 83 of the Criminal Law for aiding and abetting criminal activities. The penalty is the same as that imposed on the three Thai citizens.
Last year, Thai travel YouTuber Komkiat “Sunny” Machai, better known as Sunny Backpaeger, complained about a foreign-owned business in Phuket that did not welcome him and other Thai tourists. He attempted to rent a motorcycle but was rejected by the foreign owner solely because he was Thai.
Another YouTuber claimed that she and her friends were denied entry to an entertainment venue for the same reason.
Phuket locals supported the YouTubers’ claims and urged relevant authorities to take action. Following these complaints, several crackdowns on illegal foreign-owned businesses in Phuket took place last year.
Latest Thailand News
