Thai scam gang member arrested trafficking Chinese man

Police yesterday arrested a Thai man for his involvement in a human trafficking operation in the Isaan province of Sa Kaeo. He attempted to traffic a Chinese man from Cambodia to a scam call centre gang in Myanmar.

Lamlukka Police Station officers in Pathum Thani province near Bangkok rescued the 41 year old Chinese man, Liw Haicook, from a highway in the province after he jumped out of a sedan to escape from the human trafficking gang.

The Chinese victim informed police that he lived in the Hunan province of China and travelled to Cambodia in October of last year to work as a chef in a restaurant.

However, Liw was lured into working as a call centre scammer and forced to swindle money from victims in the Cambodian coastal city of Sihanoukville. Those who failed to meet their targets would be subjected to electric shock treatment as a form of punishment.

The call centre gang in Cambodia then made an effort to sell Liw to another criminal gang in Myanmar. Then, two men picked him up in Cambodia and transported him to Thailand in a sedan. During the journey from Thailand to Myanmar, he decided to jump out of the sedan and sought help from the Thai police.

Officers reviewed CCTV cameras on the road and nearby areas until they discovered the trafficker’s car, a Honda Accord. They managed to identify one man in the vehicle as a Thai national, the identity of the second person is still under investigation.

The Thai man, 40 year old Kittisak Boonma, was arrested yesterday at his home in the Aranya Pratate district of Sa Kaeo province. The car used in the crime was also found at another house in the area. Kittisak admitted that he was hired to deliver the Chinese man to a market in Parhum Thani province where another individual was supposed to take custody of him.

Kittisak now faces three charges, including physical assault, wielding a weapon to coerce someone into performing or refraining from an action, and unlawful confinement of another person.

Officers made known they would arrest another suspect travelling in the car on that day and any other suspects who were involved.