20 Chinese suspected scammers arrested in Chiang Mai
Police arrest 20 Chinese nationals in Chiang Mai for operating a call-centre scam targeting China, following previous busts by Provincial Police Bureau 5.
Police on Thursday raided a luxury pool villa in Chiang Mai and arrested 10 Chinese nationals suspected of working for a call-centre gang, which police had previously busted twice.
The raid was carried out by officers from Provincial Police Bureau 5 at a villa on the banks of the Ping River in Tambon Don Kaew, Mae Rim district. The operation netted 14 Chinese men and six women. One woman suffered a broken arm while attempting to flee.
When police arrived, around 10 suspects managed to run and hide in nearby forests. The house was equipped with closed-circuit TVs to monitor the arrival of outsiders. Police seized over 100 smartphones and numerous SIM cards during the raid.
Provincial Police Bureau 5 Commissioner Pol Lt Gen Kritthapol Yisakorn confirmed that the gang was likely the same one previously busted by his bureau. The first raid took place on July 1, when police arrested suspects at a house in Tambon Waen, Hang Dong district. The second raid occurred on July 30 at a pool villa in Ban Nong Pla Man, Tambon Huay Sai, Mae Rim.
Following these raids, the gang’s Chinese boss relocated operations to the villa raided on Thursday, Kritthapol explained.
The arrested individuals testified that they had been renting the house for two months, with the Chinese boss paying 120,000 baht in rent per month. They said they were paid 100,000 to 200,000 baht per month to deceive their fellow Chinese nationals in China over the phone. The suspects had entered the country on tourist and student visas.
Police will contact the Chinese consular office in Chiang Mai to participate in the interrogation of the suspects. They were charged with being part of an illegal triad and were taken to Mae Rim police station for legal proceedings.
