A Thai hacker, who claims to have acquired the personal data of about 55 million Thai people and who has extorted money from about 200 of them by threatening to reveal their personal information on social media, will soon be arrested by Thai cyber police.

Minister of Digital Economy and Society, Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, told a press conference today (Monday) that they have obtained the real identify of the hacker, known as “9near.org” and are about to make an arrest.

Even though the hacker announced the cancellation of the plan to disclose the personal data, in the hope that police would not make the arrest, the minister said that police will proceed because the offenses have already been committed.

The minister said that he thinks the hacker’s motive is to discredit state agencies responsible for keeping the personal data of Thai people secure.

This case will be the first to be handled by the Office of the Personal Data Protection Committee, charged with enforcing the personal data protection law under which the offender may face one year in prison and a fine of 5 million baht if convicted.

Chaiwut said that DES Ministry officials have been instructed to help the 200 victims who have been blackmailed by the hacker and to upgrade the security of personal data systems to prevent future hacks.