Pattaya villa raid nets more than 20 Indians in investment scam
Police arrested more than 20 Indian men at a luxury pool villa in Pattaya yesterday, April 20, after investigators found the group allegedly working without permits and soliciting fellow Indians to invest in businesses and stock trading schemes.
The raid took place at 3.46pm after immigration police and tourist police received information that more than 30 Indian nationals were residing at the villa and were suspected of illegal activity.
Inside the two-storey house, officers found more than 20 Indian men sitting at laptops with more than 40 phones placed in front of them.
The group appeared to be messaging and speaking with other Indians to persuade them to invest in businesses and stock trading, including gold and digital currency, in what police suspect was an investment scam.
Police seized 18 laptops, 30 mobile phones and documents listing pay rates for different roles, including call centre, marketing, finance and general work. One document showed that marketing staff were paid 100,000 rupees per month, or about 34,000 baht.
Investigators are reportedly still examining the amount of money involved and cannot yet confirm the total value of the investment circulation.
All 20 men taken from the house were brought to the Chon Buri Immigration Office for further questioning. They told police they had travelled to Thailand during the Songkran period after arriving in March.
They also admitted to taking jobs to help Indians trade stocks through various websites in exchange for a percentage from clients, most of whom were in India.
Khaosod reported that police initially charged the 20 Indian men with working in Thailand without permission.
Officers also found 10 other Indian nationals at the property, both men and women, and charged them with failing to report their place of residence. The case was handed to Pattaya City Police Station for legal action.
Similarly, Pattaya police raided three pool villas where a Chinese gang was operating illegal money lending and online gambling activities, seizing 13 computers and over 100 mobile phones.
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