Thai police nab four Malaysians linked to Dubai-based ‘Macau Scam’ syndicate

BANGKOK: Thai police detained four Malaysians linked to a Dubaibased ‘Macau Scam’ syndicate for allegedly cheating several victims in the country of 1.93 million Baht ( RM248,000).

The suspects aged between 28 and 33 were picked up here on Sunday and taken to the Phahonyothin police station to facilitate investigations.

Tourist Police deputy head, Maj Gen Surachet Hakpan said initial investigations revealed the suspects belonged to the ‘Macau Scam’ syndicate based in Dubai, which hired foreigners to withdraw money from victims of their scam in Thailand.

A police team also seized 10 automated teller machine (ATM) cards and five mobile phones from the suspects, he told the media yesterday.

According to Surachet who also heads the Thai Police Electronic Scam Operation Centre, the suspects withdrew their victims’ money from several places in Bangkok, as well as in Nakhon Si Thammarat, in southern Thailand.

The suspects, who committed the crimes between March 10 and 18, frequently travelled to Thailand where they stayed for about a week to withdrew the money from their victims, he said.

Many of their victims, he added, were scammed in the Phahonyothin and Bangkhane areas in Bangkok and the Sansai district in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand.

For this year, a total of 427 warrants of arrest were issued against ‘ Macau Scam’ suspects, with the authorities managing to arrest 249 of them, including 67 foreigners who are waiting for deportation. — Bernama