KOH SAMUI — A Russian fugitive wanted for a cryptocurrency robbery in Phuket was apprehended by police at Koh Samui ferry terminal after attempting to flee the island by car on Thursday.
Police from multiple units in Koh Samui, Surat Thani Province, collaborated with officers from Chalong Police Station in Phuket and the Technology Crime Investigation Division 5 to arrest the suspect under a Phuket Provincial Court warrant for robbery charges.
Acting on intelligence that the suspect had fled to Koh Samui via the 11:00 a.m. ferry service in a gray sedan with Prachinburi license plates, officers set up surveillance at the ferry terminal.
Dramatic Arrest at Ferry Terminal
At 12:50 p.m., on August 28 the arrest team positioned themselves at the ferry terminal in Lipa Noi Subdistrict, Koh Samui, where they spotted the suspicious vehicle. Officers observed a foreign man driving with no visible passengers, prompting them to stop the car for inspection. During the search, they discovered another foreign man hiding in the back seat.
The driver was identified as Gleb, a Russian national, while the man concealed in the back seat was Dmitri, 26, also Russian, who matched the description in the August 27 arrest warrant for robbery. Police found a vehicle ferry ticket from Don Sak to Samui but no passenger tickets.
Officers presented the Phuket Provincial Court arrest warrant with an interpreter present, but Dmitri refused to provide any statement during the arrest. He was subsequently transferred to investigating officers at Chalong Police Station in Phuket.
Elaborate Cryptocurrency Scam
Immigration records revealed that Dmitri had entered and exited Thailand seven times, most recently arriving through Phuket Airport on August 15. According to the investigation, he had arranged a phone meeting with the victim, Mr. Alexander, also Russian, inviting him to a house in Phuket for a business investment consultation.
When Alexander arrived at the designated location, he found not Dmitri but a group of four Russians who assaulted him and forced him to transfer 35,000 USDT (approximately 1.3 million baht) through the TRONSCAN application. After the robbery, the perpetrators released the victim and fled the country, leaving only Dmitri behind.
While his accomplices escaped abroad, Dmitri enlisted a Russian friend on Koh Samui to help him flee. However, his escape attempt ultimately failed when police tracked him down at the ferry terminal.
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