BANGKOK — Thai police have arrested four Chinese nationals accused of running an online scam operation in Bangkok and are seeking the arrest of Cambodian Senator Ly Yong Phat in a related money-laundering investigation, officials said Sunday.
Assistant National Police Chief Lt. Gen. Jiraphop Phuridej and Pol. Maj. Gen. Teeradej Thamsuthee, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, led the raid at City Lake Tower Condominium on Sukhumvit Soi 16 in Khlong Toei district. Officers from the Metropolitan Police, Crime Suppression Division and Thong Lor Police Station joined the operation.
The suspects were identified as Xiahou Xin, 29; Liu Ming, 28; Li Lei, 22; and Zeng Lingquan, 21, all Chinese nationals who recently entered Thailand from Cambodia on tourist visas.
Police seized two desktop computers allegedly used for editing videos and facial manipulation, two laptops containing records of financial transactions in Cambodia, 60 mobile phones, two small bags of crystal methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.
Jiraphop said the raid followed an investigation that traced the suspects to a Chinese scam network. The group allegedly used the condo as a base for producing fake video clips and conducting fraudulent financial transactions.
During questioning, the suspects admitted they were hired through the Telegram messaging app to modify videos and handle financial transactions for a Chinese-run scam syndicate. They said they earned between 20,000 and 30,000 yuan ($2,800-4,200) a month and sometimes received bonuses for meeting targets.
Investigators believe the group had previously operated in Cambodia and Malaysia, and that several senior Chinese ringleaders have fled Cambodia and are now hiding in Thailand.
All four were charged with participating in a transnational criminal organization, belonging to a secret society, and possession of a Category 1 narcotic. Police are continuing to trace their network and examine digital evidence.
Related Raids Target Cambodian Senator’s Network
On the same day, officers from the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) and the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) carried out coordinated raids at 36 locations in Bangkok and Trat Province, targeting assets linked to Ly Yong Phat, a 67-year-old Cambodian senator of Chinese-Thai descent and a prominent businessman from Koh Kong Province. He is the owner of LYP Group, one of Cambodia’s largest business conglomerates.
Among the most notable sites searched were two condominium units on Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok, believed to be connected to Ly’s network. Officers found no residents inside—only property management staff overseeing the premises—but seized financial documents and property records.
Investigators also confiscated a land plot worth about 5 million baht ($154,345) in Wang Krajae subdistrict, Mueang District, Trat Province, along with bank accounts containing more than 88.2 million baht ($2.7 million).
Authorities said the raids stemmed from a cybercrime probe that uncovered links between Ly and a major Chinese-led scam and money-laundering network. Evidence suggested the group operated as an organized criminal enterprise, dividing roles between members to handle illicit funds and profits.
Police later obtained arrest warrants for five suspects in the network — Ly Yong Phat himself, his close associate Chokchai Supapha, 37, and three Chinese nationals — on charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and participation in an organized transnational crime network.
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