SIM-ply unstoppable: Phuket Police SIM card crusade leads to arrest of suspect

The Phuket Provincial Police intensified their crusade against the unlawful sale and distribution of SIM cards, leading to the arrest of a suspect identified as Korn.

Police reported that the 38 year old man was apprehended yesterday at about 1pm, in the Phuket Wittayalai area. During the arrest, 20 activated SIM cards along with two Thai ID card readers were confiscated. Further investigations ensued at an undisclosed area which resulted in the seizure of additional 27 unregistered SIM cards accompanied by 15 more Thai ID card readers.

Korn has been moved to the Phuket City Police Station and is officially charged with the illegal dissemination and marketing of SIM cards, particularly for distributing a registered SIM card to an individual whose identity cannot be authenticated.

Yesterday’s arrest follows hot on the heels of the recent apprehension of Rangsini ‘Bow’ Prawanna, a 27 year old resident of Moo 5, Srisoonthon. The arrest took place on Monday as reported by the Region 8 Police. She was discovered with 50 registered DTAC SIM cards, one registered phone and a fraudulent copy of a banknote used to attract people to buy the overpriced SIM cards at 3,000 baht each.

Investigation reports by the Region 8 Police unveiled that Rangsini had been distributing thousands of SIM cards to Chiang Rai in Northern Thailand and Sa Kaeo province bordering Cambodia. She was reportedly circulating nearly 1,000 SIM cards per month.

The Region 8 Police elaborated that under Section 11 of the Royal Decree on Cyber Crime Prevention and Suppression, the sale or acquisition of phone numbers for resale, without knowing the identity of the ultimate user is illegal.

The decree, which came into effect on March 17, rules out individuals transferring the use of their SIM cards to others without confirmation of identity. Contraventions of these rules hold the potential for penalties of two to five years in prison, a maximum fine ranging from 200,000 baht to 525,000 baht, or both.

This prevailing operation against illegal SIM card sale and distribution also resulted in the arrest of three individuals in Krabi for biting the bait of Section 11 of the Royal Decree on Cyber Crime Prevention and Suppression.