Thap Put district police, in Thailand’s southern province of Phang-nga, have issued a summons requiring Kong Salak Plus CEO Panthawat Nakvisut to report on February 15th to acknowledge a charge of selling overpriced online lottery tickets.
The summons is the first of many expected to be issued against Panthawat, after the Royal Thai Police (RTP) urged about 4,000 customers, who claim to have bought overpriced lottery tickets through the Kong Salak Plus online platform for March 16th and April 1st draws last year, to file complaints. The RTP has also instructed police across the country to record complaints from customers claiming to have been overcharged by Kong Salak Plus.
Thap Put district superintendent, Pol Col Sombat Sawaengsuk, said that a customer in the district claimed he bought an overpriced online lottery ticket from Kong Salak Plus, adding that police decided to issue the summons after having questioned the claimant, who provided evidence to support his claim.
He said he is not sure whether Panthawat will show up on February 15th, adding that he could ask for a postponement. If he does not respond at all, a second summons will be issued.
Panthawat has claimed in a Facebook post that he is now broke, after the Department of Special Investigation and police froze bank accounts. The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society has also closed his online lottery platform.
He also said that he might not have the financial means to travel to police stations all over the country to acknowledge the charges against him and asked his customers to treat him to a meal if he happens to be at a police station in their hometown.
