Face off: Chinese fraudster has surgery to evade law in Thailand

A Chinese woman fled fraud charges in China, where she caused a loss of 8 million baht, and escaped to Thailand, undergoing cosmetic surgery to hide her identity.

A local Thai became suspicious of a foreign woman living in a luxury condominium in the Rama IV neighbourhood of Bangkok and reported her concerns to the Immigration Bureau. The woman reportedly wore a hat and face mask every time she left her condo.

Police closely monitored the foreigner and observed her leaving her room to collect food from the lobby. Officers then approached her and asked to check her documents.

The woman was later identified as a 30 year old Chinese national named Jing Qu. Upon reviewing her data, officers found that she arrived in Thailand in 2022 and was permitted to stay for only 15 days as a tourist.

However, Jing overstayed her visa by 650 days, nearly two years, while hiding in the luxury condo. When questioned about the overstay, she refused to answer and changed the subject.

According to the police, Jing claimed that she worked as a cabin crew member for a well-known airline but was unexpectedly terminated. However, officers doubted her claim due to the type of visa she had.

Further investigation into Jing’s criminal history revealed that she was wanted by Interpol, with her name appearing on a blue warrant.

Officers contacted Chinese authorities for details of her criminal activity. Chinese officials reported that Jing was a suspect in a fraud case under investigation between 2016 and 2019.

Jing allegedly tricked six victims into paying her between 1.5 and 7.5 million yuan each to secure positions as cabin crew members with a prominent airline. She fled the charges, using the funds for cosmetic surgery and her escape to Thailand.

The Thai police did not clarify the legal punishment Jing would face for overstaying her visa in Thailand. It is believed that she will be punished in Thailand before being extradited to China for legal proceedings.