Vietnamese man allegedly impersonated Thai citizen and forged land documents
A Vietnamese man impersonating a Thai citizen was arrested for allegedly forging land documents before attempting to sell them on the market. Numerous villagers throughout the northeastern provinces have reportedly suffered losses as a result of his fraudulent activities.
Police, along with a special task force, apprehended the 55 year old suspect known as Kittinan, who was wanted by an Udon Thani provincial court. The arrest occurred at a residence in the Mueang District of Udon Thani. Kittinan stands accused of falsifying and using official documents related to land registry and national identity.
The case can be traced back to late April this year when a group of villagers complained about their losses from dealings with Vietnamese investors. These investors allegedly collaborated with local administrative officials and land department officers to fabricate Thai national identity cards for wealthy Vietnamese to conduct land-buying operations across the region. The affected lands were mortgaged and their information was faked to increase debt amounts, naming Kittinan as the authorised dealer in the land title deeds.
A land department official signed off on the documents before they were put up for sale, leading to even more losses for the landowners. The fraudulent scheme affected people living in the provinces of Udon Thani, Nong Bua Lamphu, and Nong Khai, and showed a blatant disregard for the law.
An investigation into the case revealed that in November last year, Kittinan applied for a new Thai national ID card in Mueang Udon Thani. However, the registrar discovered through examination that Kittinan was, in fact, not a Thai national, and was using fake documents for his application. Further investigation found that his real name was Minh and he held Vietnamese citizenship. In 1997, Minh had previously obtained an identity card under the name Anusorn in Mueang Nong Khai.
Following a name change against his actual background, the registrar filed a lawsuit against Kittinan, resulting in the Udon Thani provincial court issuing a warrant for his arrest on charges of falsifying documents. Finally, on May 5, the apprehension team made its way to the aforementioned location where they found Kittinan and made the arrest. He was handed over to local officials in Mueang Udon Thani for legal proceedings.
During his initial interrogation, Kittinan consistently denied all allegations against him. As the investigation continues, those who have fallen victim to the scheme are waiting for justice, and the officials involved may soon see their rightful consequences for their involvement in fraudulent activities.
