Scam raid exposes deputy mayor’s family fraudulent call centre

A coordinated crackdown on a call centre scam network in Nakhon Si Thammarat has led to a shocking revelation involving a deputy mayor’s family. The operation spanned seven locations, leading to the discovery of the deputy mayor’s involvement and her daughter’s role as a nominee.

Early morning raids tore through the district of Nakhon Si Thammarat, targeting the sprawling network of a cross-border call centre operation. Spearheaded by senior police officials, the operation revealed a tangled web of deceit that extended into the office of a local deputy mayor.

At 8am this morning, under the command of senior police officers, teams moved in on multiple fronts. The strategic operation, code-named Takedown Scammer Ep:2, aimed to dismantle a sophisticated scam syndicate that had burrowed its way into the region.

The raids were the result of meticulous planning and coordination among various law enforcement agencies. Officers were deployed to scour through residences and a hotel in the Chawang and Thung Song districts, suspecting these locations of harbouring elements of the criminal network.

One of the more intriguing locations was the residence of 51 year old Deputy Mayor Rewadee and her 62 year old husband Lin. The morning stillness was shattered as officers surrounded their two-storey house, searching for evidence of their complicity in the scam operation.

Despite their absence, the search yielded a trove of documents, including land titles and bank books, all potential evidence linking them to the illicit activities.

Family business

The possible charges levied against them include collaborating in deceiving the public, jointly deceiving by impersonating others, colluding deceitfully or by fraudulent means to introduce distorted, falsified, or entirely fabricated computer data, intending to cause harm to the public together, acting as accomplices in piracy, and participating jointly in transnational criminal organisations.

Similarly, another residence within the same village was under scrutiny. It belonged to 23 year old Arthitaya, the deputy mayor’s daughter. Although she was not present, the search led to the seizure of additional documents and bank books.

The day’s haul also included the arrest of 37 year old Ayah at a hotel in the district of Chawang, along with the confiscation of desk phones and router equipment.

As the operation unfolded, the authorities also apprehended 44 year old Thanyaphorn and 51 year old Lucksika in Chawang, while 23 year old Nattakanya was detained in Surat Thani.

They were all taken for questioning at the Thung Song Police Station.

This operation was not the first of its kind. Following a previous sweep on March 29, which led to the arrest of 90 individuals, including a large faction of Chinese nationals, the authorities unearthed connections to Rewadee.

It was found that she was not only providing a base of operations for the Chinese call centre but also benefiting financially from property rentals. Furthermore, her husband Lin was implicated in transferring funds to acquire computers and phones for the scammers and paying Thai employees involved in the operation.

Continuing investigations revealed that Arthitaya, the deputy mayor’s daughter, had nominee status in companies used as fronts for the Chinese call centre group. With this evidence, arrest warrants were issued, capturing individuals involved in the scheme and those benefiting from it.

Law enforcement is now seeking an arrest warrant for Rewadee due to her evasion and failure to respond to summons. The pursuit of justice continues, with authorities coordinating with immigration and security agencies to apprehend the suspects who remain at large, ensuring that they face legal consequences for their actions, reported Khaosod.