Duo linked to luxury-car scam urged to surrender

Director-general Tarit Pengdith said the identity of the two men was known among law-enforcement officials and they still had time to surrender to the DSI.
He said there was proof verifying transactions overseas involving tens of millions of baht by the pair, and that the six vehicles with suspect registration – four of which were gutted by fire – may have been smuggled into Thailand from Malaysia.
The two men were known to be key figures in the importing of luxury cars, he said, adding that the DSI had obtained security camera footage showing links between the pair and a suspect called Nathee Rewthong, who is on the run.
Nathee has been accused of |hiring a truck company to transport the six vehicles, which were on a |trailer that mysteriously caught fire last month while being driven through Nakhon Ratchasima.
An ad-hoc centre opened by the DSI to verify ownership and registration documents of 548 luxury cars, which had market prices of up to Bt5 million, began operating yesterday.

AUTHENTICATION REQUIRED
People owning or possessing the vehicles are required to authenticate all documents.
Those with vehicles installed with LPG or CNG fuel systems need to have the cars inspected next Monday.
Meanwhile, a deputy chief of the Customs Department, Rakhop Srisuppha-at, denied that customs officials had helped make illegally imported luxury cars appear legitimate so they could benefit from being auctioned legally at higher prices. “I admit that the ‘car-laundering’ scheme does exist but it is conducted at a lower level,” he said, without explaining.
Rakhop said a Rolls Royce owned by Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung was legally imported, after former senator Ruangkrai Leekitwattana publicly called for an inspection to determine whether it was smuggled, or underwent the tax avoidance process.