Eight police officers, including a division commander, are among 17 suspects, allegedly implicated in an illegal online gambling platform, “netflikroyal.com”, are now in police custody, following the “Big Cleaning Day” raids in Bangkok, Phetchaburi, Samut Prakan, Khon Kaen, Udon Thani and Saraburi by the Police Cyber Task Force (PCTF) on Monday.
According to Pol Lt-Gen Trairong Piewpan, commissioner of the Office of Legal Affairs and Litigation of the Royal Thai Police, the 17 suspects are among the first batch of suspects against whom arrest warrants have been issued. Six, all civilians, managed to evade arrest.
He claimed that the PCTF have been investigating the online gambling operation for more than two months and they have gathered sufficient evidence to seek warrants for their arrest.
He explained that the gang which operated the platform was divided into a group responsible for managing the gambling website, a group responsible for recruiting people to open “mule” bank accounts, another group responsible for financial and banking management and a fourth group are those who collect funds from the “mule” accounts.
He claimed that some of the officers actually managed the gambling website.
Pol Lt-Gen Trairong said that the PCTF were unaware that a house which was raided yesterday (Monday) belongs to Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, the deputy national police chief, because the house was registered under a civilian’s name.
Among the eight police officers for whom arrest warrants have issued are Pol Maj-Gen Namkiat, commander of the training centre of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Pol Col Parkpoom Pisamai, a deputy commander attached to the 4th Region Provincial Police Bureau and Pol Col Khemarin Pisamai, an immigration police superintendent in Chanthaburi province.
Pol Col Khemarin and another immigration police officer, Pol Col Aris, were released yesterday on 100,000 baht bail each by the court.
Several of those in police custody are subordinates of Pol Gen Surachate. The deputy national police chief said yesterday, however, that he is confident that all his subordinates are not involved in the illegal gambling activity.
Six of the seven civilian suspects apprehended were flown in a police aircraft yesterday, from Loei province to Bangkok and then whisked to the Metropolitan Police Bureau for questioning.
Police allege that the six suspects opened “mule” bank accounts and one of them, identified only as “Pitcharat”, is alleged to be a partner in the gambling platform.
