Thai patrol rescues 39 foreigners from call centre scam at border

Thirty-nine foreign nationals were rescued by Thai officers during a border patrol operation, claiming to have been victims of a call centre gang. The rescue took place yesterday morning, November 25, at the Thai-Myanmar border in Mae Sot district.

Border patrol officers, alongside the Naresuan Task Force, discovered the group near a village while conducting a routine patrol. Among those rescued were 32 individuals from Sri Lanka, five from Nepal, and one each from Malaysia and Russia. Identification papers were found on all individuals, and no illegal items were discovered during the search.

The group reported being lured into crossing the border into Myanmar under false pretences, with promises of work on a project in Myawaddy, a town opposite Thailand’s Mae Sot. Myawaddy is notorious for being a base for call centre scams.

The group was forced to work for a call centre gang believed to be operated by Chinese nationals, as confirmed by a border patrol officer.

The group managed to escape from their captors, crossing the Moei River to reach safety on the Thai side.

Thai officials noted the visible relief on the faces of the rescued individuals, who recounted their harrowing escape after being provided with food and drinks, reported Bangkok Post.

Efforts to ensure their safe return are underway, with their respective embassies having been contacted. They have been taken to the provincial immigration police office and will be sent back to their countries under the National Referral Mechanism, as confirmed by the border patrol officials.

In related news, a leading Chinese member of a call centre scam gang in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat surrendered to Thai police after seven months in hiding.

The 33 year old Chinese man, Jiang Zhaitian, reached out to the Thai police via his lawyer, expressing his intent to turn himself in. Jiang was subsequently taken to the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) in Bangkok yesterday, November 10.