BANGKOK – Thai cyber police have continued to suppress both Thai and foreign scammers in Thailand. Last time, in Operation The Purge EP.1, they seized assets of suspects worth over 250 million baht or 6.8 million USD. This time, it was over 220 million baht or 6 million USD.
Prasert Jantaruangtong, Minister of Digital Economy and Society (DE), and Pol. Lt. Gen. Worawat Watthanakornbuncha, Commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau, led forces to launch Operation The Purge EP.2 to sweep out transnational criminals on May 30.
They searched five suspicious locations, four in Bangkok and one in Rayong, to seize and freeze four luxury houses, condominiums, and other assets linked to hybrid scam operations or investment fraud rings.
The first location was a 36 million baht house in Grand Bangkok Boulevard Village, Bang Na-On Nut, Sukhaphiban 2 Road, Dok Mai Subdistrict, Prawet District, Bangkok. Officials arrested Mr. Wei Anu, 38, a Chinese national holding Vanuatu citizenship, for questioning.
The second location included two houses priced at 28.3 and 27.7 million baht in Artel Kaset-Nawamin Village, Soi Prasoet Manukit 29, Junction 2, Prasoet Manukit Road, Lat Phrao Subdistrict, Lat Phrao District, Bangkok.
The third location was an 85 million baht house in The Welton Rama 3 Village, Nontree Road, Chong Nonsi Subdistrict, Yannawa District, Bangkok. Officials took Ms. Lee Hua Yu, a Chinese national, for questioning.
The fourth location was a condominium unit at Wisdom Essence on Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok. Officials arrested Mr. Tanapol, 33, from Ubon Ratchathani Province, and seized communication equipment, including computers and mobile phones.
The fifth location was a house in Soi Vibhavadi 30, Chatuchak District. Mr. Supasit was arrested along with several pieces of relevant evidence.
The sixth location was a house on Sukhumvit Road, Soi Nam Yen 3, Noen Phra Subdistrict, Mueang Rayong District, Rayong Province. Mr. Kanniphit was arrested for questioning.
Mr. Prasert said this operation was a continuation of the hybrid scam case where victims were deceived into investing. This time, over 220 million baht in assets were seized, including houses, condominium units, cash, three luxury cars, over 10 luxury watches, brand-name bags, and mobile phones.
The scammers persuaded victims to invest in digital currencies through fake platforms. They then had the victims buy USDT and transfer it to digital wallets specified by the scammers before transferring it to accounts on digital currency trading platforms and using it to buy real estate and other assets.
Initially, those arrested were charged with jointly defrauding the public as a regular business by impersonating others, being part of a secret society, being part of a gang of robbers, jointly and fraudulently bringing into a computer system distorted or falsified computer data, in whole or in part, or false computer data in a manner likely to cause damage to the public, jointly participating in a transnational criminal organization, and jointly laundering money and conspiring to launder money.
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