Russian suspect arrested in Phuket over scam cash withdrawals
Police in Phuket arrested a Russian national yesterday, April 20, in connection with a call centre scam after he was found withdrawing funds linked to fraudulent operations.
The suspect, identified as 41 year old Anton Kurchenko, was monitored by Phuket Provincial Police after making multiple ATM withdrawals outside a supermarket in Soi Ta-iad, Chalong subdistrict.
According to a report from the Phuket Times Facebook page, Kurchenko withdrew cash 16 times, totalling around 331,000 baht. Police said the funds were linked to 16 call centre scam cases, with total reported losses exceeding 790,000 baht.
Investigators believe Kurchenko was responsible for withdrawing money from mule accounts as part of a wider money laundering operation.
Following the investigation, officers raided an apartment in Rawai and arrested him in his room. As many of the related cases occurred in Surat Thani, he was transferred to Kanchanadit Police Station for further legal proceedings.
Police said further questioning would be conducted to identify other individuals involved in the network.
In a similar case last month, police in Chon Buri arrested a 20 year old Russian suspect, Mark Zhambalove, for withdrawing more than 4.6 million baht from multiple ATMs. Officers seized 96,000 baht in cash, an iPhone 13 and a blue Yamaha NMAX motorcycle as evidence.
In Bangkok, 11 South Korean nationals were arrested at two luxury houses that had been converted into call centre scam operations. The properties were equipped with phones, computers, internet connections, and scripts used to deceive victims.
In the same month, 94 Vietnamese nationals were arrested at a condominium in Bangkok for operating gambling websites, which were suspected of being involved with call centre scam networks. Each suspect claimed that they were tricked into working for the criminal gang by a job post for customer service roles.
In a recent crackdown reported yesterday, April 20, more than 30 Indian nationals were arrested at a villa in Chon Buri for allegedly running an investment scam targeting victims from their home country.
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