Cops nab 37 in B100m call-centre scam busts
Joint task force raids 3 locations in Cambodia
Thai and Cambodian authorities yesterday rounded up almost 40 people including 26 Thais in a joint operation in Cambodia for allegedly running a call-centre scam swindling Thai people out of 100 million baht.
According to Thai officials, the joint task force raided three locations in Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville and arrested 37 people — 26 Thais, six Taiwanese and five Cambodians.
Thai authorities were led by Pol Maj Gen Surachet Hakpal, deputy commissioner of the Tourism Police Bureau and head of the Royal Thai Police’s call-centre scam suppression operation centre.
The first raid was carried out at a deserted hospital building in Phnom Penh where two Cambodians were detained.
The second raid took place at a rented luxury house about 3km away where 25 Thais, four Taiwanese and three Cambodians were nabbed.
The third raid was on a house in Sihanoukville where two Taiwanese and one Thai national were arrested.
Before the arrests, Thai suspects were phoning Thai victims, mainly in the lower North, police said.
Some of the Thai suspects claimed they were illegally detained and forced to work for the call centre scammers. They were allegedly given narcotics and beaten when they refused to work.
Authorities found computers, mobile phone signal conversion equipment, and phone logs with details of the calls made at the three sites.
A police source close to the operation said the call centre scam syndicate is linked to Taiwanese and Malaysian nationals who moved their base of operation to Cambodia after their network was busted in Thailand.
The network’s leader identified as Chen Yuen Kai, a Taiwanese, was nabbed in Thailand but he fled overseas after being released on bail, according to the source.
The suspect allegedly ran the call centre scam from Cambodia and Malaysia after his escape.
In December last year, Thai police arrested a group of 19 Thais for alleged involvement in a call centre that tricked a retired police major to deposit 1.5 million baht into their bank account. One of the suspects claimed to know the Taiwanese fugitive from prison.
Pol Maj Gen Surachet said the gang targets Thai people and forces them to swindle their compatriots, adding that those who refuse to work are physically assaulted.
According to Thai officials, the operation went well with cooperation from Cambodian authorities who were concerned the suspects were in the country to run criminal activities.
Thai officers taking part in the joint operation were drawn from various units including the Patrol and Special Operations Division and the Provincial Police 5 Bureau.