Turkish tourist busted with 99 fake bank cards

PHUKET: Krabi Police arrested a Turkish tourist and a Thai woman for the possession of 99 fake ATM cards in Krabi Town yesterday.

Teke Onur Mustarfa, 36, and Kanitha Saramee, 45, have both denied the charges of making and using fake bank cards.

“We received a tip-off from Siam Commercial Bank about suspicious withdrawals,” Krabi Provincial Police Deputy Commander Boontawee Toraksa said last night.

“We then reviewed CCTV from a number of locations where the withdrawals were made. Eventually, we were able to identify the suspects and the licence plate of the car being used.”

The vehicle the pair were arrested in had a licence plate matching the one seen on the CCTV.

The two suspects were staying in the Koh Lanta district since Thursday and are believed to have already made a number of withdrawals using fake bank cards. Also in the couple’s possession was about 240,000 baht in cash, explained Col Boontawee.

“We are doing our best to figure out exactly how much they stole,” Col Boontawee said.

“Though they have denied the charges, we are confident to proceed and allow them the opportunity to fight the case in court.”

— Kritsada Mueanhawong