Chiang Mai police and local officials raided a Chinese-run scam call centre, located in a luxury rented house, and arrested 20 Chinese nationals, 14 men and 6 women, yesterday.
Police said that some attempted to escape by jumping into the Ping River or into the bushes behind the house, but were eventually rounded up, adding that most of them arrived in Thailand on tourist or student visas, while a few others have been living in Thailand for a couple of years.
Pol Lt-Gen Krittaphol Yisakorn, commissioner of the 5th Provincial Police Bureau, told the media that the suspects are affiliated with a call centre gang in Hang Dong and Mae Rim districts, which have been raided by the police on two occasions.
Remnants of the gang then moved to a new location in Don Kaew sub-district, also in Mae Rim district, to continue their scam operations, mainly targeting victims in China, he said, adding that police will coordinate with Chinese officials at their consular office in Chiang Mai to help in the investigation.
The suspects have been charged with criminal association and defrauding the public, said Krittaphol, adding that all of them will be extradited to China after the legal process has been completed and, if convicted, any prison terms have been served.
Meanwhile in Phuket province, police raided six targets in Wichit sub-district yesterday, which are suspected to be related to illegal online gambling. Three suspects were arrested and about 1.6 million baht in cash were confiscated. Based upon information gleaned from those in custody, police managed to apprehend two more suspects.
Pol Maj-Gen Lertchai Champathong, the investigative commander of the 8th Provincial Police Bureau, said that there are at least two more online gambling websites operating in Phuket, which are yet to be raided.
He claimed that the “Ufared” website, raided yesterday, had been receiving bets from customers amounting to 50-60 million baht each month.
