Police seize B42m in call centre assets

Chinese man linked to ‘illegal e-wallets’

Six suspected members of two major call centre scam gangs have separately been arrested with cash and other assets worth about 42 million baht seized. One Chinese national is suspected of managing digital wallets with about 70 billion baht in circulation.

In the first case, officers from the Technology Crime Suppression Division arrested Chen Yon Lai, 52, a Chinese man, and a Thai man identified only as Anan. They were held under arrest warrants issued by the Criminal Court on charges of colluding in public fraud and transnational crime, inputting false information into a computer system and laundering money.

Seized from them were 11 million baht cash, two computers, seven mobile phones, eight bank accounts, 13 cash cards, five cars and other assets worth about 42 million baht in total, Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) commissioner Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop

Bhuridej, said yesterday.

Mr Chen was arrested at a luxury house in Phasi Charoen district of Bangkok, while Mr Anan was held in the eastern province of Chachoengsao.

Police earlier arrested five alleged call centre scammers involved in creating a fake CIB Facebook page to swindle money from people last year. An extended probe showed that there were other suspects involved in the gang. Two of them were Mr Chen and Mr Anan, who were responsible for managing digital wallets used in illegal transactions and converting digital assets into cash to finance the operation of this gang, said Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop.

The police investigators then sought court approval to arrest the two suspects, he said. They searched eight locations in Bangkok, Samut Prakan, Chachoengsao and Nakhon Ratchasima before managing to arrest the duo, he said. The officers also invited five other people linked with the two suspects for questioning, he said.

“Mr Chen and Mr Anan denied all charges, but the investigators did not believe them because some mobile phones seized from Mr Chen used one application to manage digital wallets linked with other scammers,” he said. “There was more than 70 billion baht in circulation in those digital wallets he managed.”

The investigation found that the Chinese suspect was a key player in the scam network. He was tasked with laundering money in digital currencies into other currencies for scam gangs which had operation bases in Cambodia.

Mr Chen had also used Thai nominees to buy houses, land plots, vehicles and other assets. He also held an elite visa, Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop said.

In the second case, a Chinese man identified as Zheng, 31, and three accomplices — a former police officer, 70, and two Cambodian men, aged 31 and 35 — were arrested, he said.

Mr Zheng has been charged with illegal entry. He was also wanted on an Interpol red notice for technology crime causing damage worth over 40 million yuan, Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop said.

The suspects were members of a call centre scam gang, he said.

Mr Zheng was arrested on Highway 33 in the Muang district of Sakaeo while the other suspects were apprehended at Rong Klua border market in Aranyaprathet district, he said.