Two Cambodians arrested at ATM with over THB1m in gambling cash
Crime Suppression Division police caught two Cambodian men red-handed withdrawing cash using multiple ATM cards linked to illegal online gambling networks in Sa Kaeo.
Officers from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) and the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) have arrested two Cambodian men at an ATM in Aranyaprathet district, Sa Kaeo province on Sunday (June 8), after catching them red-handed withdrawing large sums of cash using multiple ATM cards suspected to be linked to illegal online gambling operations.
The pair were charged with “unlawfully using another person’s electronic card in a manner likely to cause harm to others or the public.”
Police seized 23 items of evidence at the scene, including:
- 18 ATM cards registered under various names
- THB1,059,000 in cash
- 2 mobile phones
- 2 shoulder bags are used to conceal the items
The arrest followed an intelligence tip-off that a suspicious group had been using multiple ATM cards registered to other individuals to withdraw large amounts of cash believed to be proceeds from illegal online gambling operations. Authorities suspect links to transnational criminal networks, including fraudulent call centre gangs.
Investigators revealed that the network hired Cambodian nationals to enter Thailand and withdraw cash using cards issued in other people’s names. They often targeted border areas to facilitate the cross-border movement of the money without detection.
Acting on the tip-off, the police set up surveillance at an ATM of a major bank in Aranyaprathet. In the evening, two Cambodian men were seen making repeated transactions using multiple cards, each taking an unusually long time. Their suspicious behaviour prompted officers to approach and search them.
Upon inspection, officers found the ATM cards, over one million baht in cash, two mobile phones, and concealed items in shoulder bags. The suspects admitted that the cards were not theirs and confessed to being paid by an online gambling network to make withdrawals on Thai soil. The operation reportedly involved millions of baht each month.
Police say further investigation is underway to identify and prosecute those behind the operation, including cross-border collaborators and the masterminds running the financial side of the illegal enterprise.
