BANGKOK — Police have obtained an arrest warrant for a suspect who allegedly embezzled $400,000 worth of gems from a longtime friend and are now seeking Interpol’s assistance for his arrest.
On July 25, police investigators revealed that the court had approved an arrest warrant for a male suspect in a case where an Indian gem merchant was robbed of three precious stones worth 14.5 million baht by a trusted friend of ten years, who subsequently fled Thailand.
Pol. Lt. Phurivat Jira-akkarathat, Deputy Inspector (Investigation) of Yannawa Police Station, disclosed that Mr. Rajesh filed a complaint on July 17, reporting that an acquaintance of ten years had stolen three gems from him—two blue stones and one yellow stone—worth 14.5 million baht (approximately $400,000) before fleeing the country.
Officers interviewed witnesses and examined CCTV footage before submitting a request for an arrest warrant. The court approved the warrant on July 23 for Mr. A (alias), a 40-year-old dual Canadian-Pakistani national, on charges of embezzlement. Police are currently gathering related documents for translation before submitting a request for an Interpol Red Notice.
According to Mr. Rajesh, Mr. A claimed he had a customer interested in purchasing gems and needed to take the stones to show the potential buyer. The victim had previously entrusted gems to Mr. A for customer viewings, trusting him due to their decade-long relationship. In previous instances when customers showed no interest, Mr. A had always returned the gems.
However, after handing over the gems at a luxury hotel on Charoen Krung Road on July 17, Mr. Rajesh was unable to contact Mr. A again.
CCTV footage revealed that immediately after receiving the gems, Mr. A took a Grab taxi to Suvarnabhumi Airport. Immigration records show he departed Thailand on July 17 bound for Switzerland.
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