Man accused by Chinese government of 5.6 billion baht fraud arrested in Phuket

A 55 year old Chinese man was apprehended in a villa in Rawai, Phuket, following an arrest warrant issued by the Chinese government. The man is accused of fabricating documents to secure an illicit loan, causing the Chinese government to suffer losses of around 1.133 billion yuan (approximately 5.6 billion baht).

This news was revealed during a press conference at the Immigration Bureau headquarters in Nonthaburi yesterday. Immigration Bureau Chief Pol Lt Gen Phakphumphiphat Sujjapan presided over the event. It was revealed that the Bureau received notification about the wanted individual from the Chinese government via the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China at the beginning of the month.

Gao, who had entered Thailand via Phuket on September 5, was found to have used a Thailand Privilege Card to gain entry. This card granted him a one-year stay, valid until September 3, 2024. However, upon receiving the warrant from the Chinese government, the immigration officers requested permission from Pol Lt Gen Phakphumphiphat to revoke Gao’s permit, given the serious charges he was facing. They also sought to place him on a watch list, reported The Phuket News.

Investigation led the officers to a villa in Rawai, where Gao was residing. A search warrant was procured from the Phuket Provincial Court, allowing officers to inspect the premises. While no illegal items were discovered during the search, Gao was taken into custody due to the request of the Chinese government.

Upon interrogation, it was revealed that Gao had been living with his relatives in the villa. Gao confessed to being the individual sought by the Chinese government, as stated in the arrest warrant. Following this, Gao was informed that his permit to stay in Thailand had been cancelled. He was subsequently moved to the Immigration Bureau Region 3 headquarters in Bangkok for further legal proceedings.

The Immigration Bureau confirmed that Gao had not committed any offences while in Thailand, but was being held solely for the charges filed by the Chinese government.

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