Crime

Investigation Panel in Red Bull Case Finds Conspiracy and Intent to Kill

A panel investigating the failed hit-and-run case against Red Bull heir Vorayuth Yoovidhya has found evidence of conspiracy. The panel has recommended a new investigation and charges against the officials involved.

The report also raises the possibility of an “intention to kill” in Mr Vorayuth’s failure to stop after the accident. The police officer’s body was dragged more than 100 meters along the road beneath Mr Vorayuth’s Ferrari.

Vicha Mahakhun, former member of the National Anti-Corruption Commission who heads the committee, announced its findings at Government House on Tuesday.

He said that it was unusual that the body of Pol Snr Sgt Maj Wichian Klanprasert had been dragged for more 100 meters beneath Mr Vorayuth’s Ferrari without it stopping after hitting his motorcycle.

“There was information and remarks indicating that the failure to stop the car at once, and the fact that the dead person was dragged that far, might be an indication of an intention to kill,” Mr Vicha said.

He said that later photos showing the Ferrari and the dead policeman’s motorcycle placed together clearly showed that the car crashed directly into the rear of the bike, not into the side of it.

Mr Vicha also pointed to many other irregularities in the handling of the case by police and the Office of the Attorney-General.

Policeman treated as a Suspect in Red Bull Heir Case

The dead policeman was treated as a suspect in the crash, being accused of abruptly changing lanes. That was an illegal and unfair charge to lay against the dead man. Because above all he had no chance to defend himself, Mr Vicha said.

Defining the dead victim as the wrongdoer “severely ruined the case and could result in a suspect being freed from charges or not”, he said. Mr Vicha also held interrogators at fault. Above all for failing to include a charge of drunk driving, even though the question was raised.

In addition, there was the failure to bring Mr Vorayuth to indictment as originally decided by prosecutors. Six months passed, giving the suspect the opportunity to file petitions, he said.

As many as 14 petitions were filed. The first 13 were rejected by a former attorney-general and several deputy attorneys-general.

But the last petition was accepted by a deputy attorney-general supervising petitions for justice, Mr Vicha said, an apparent reference to deputy attorney-general Nate Naksuk.

Investigating Police Officers Pressured

The deputy attorney-general gave credence to old evidence that had always been rejected, Mr Vicha said. Then the charge of reckless driving causing death was dropped. Furthermore police did not oppose the decision by the deputy attorney-general, Mr Vicha said.

He referred to the assumption that the Ferrari had not been speeding made by Pol Col Thanasit Taengchan of the Office of Police Forensic Science; and Saiprasit Kerdniyom, head of the Automotive Safety and Assessment Engineering Centre at King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology North Bangkok.

Mr Vicha said that Pol Col Thanasit had originally estimated the Ferrari was going at 177 kilometres per hour. He later reduced the figure to less than 80kph.

Mr Vicha said Pol Col Thanasit told his committee that he had been pressured.

Mr Saiprasit admitted to the committee that he had not examined the crash site. He made his calculation on paper without using factual data that Pol Col Thanasit had originally used, Mr Vicha said. Both Pol Col Thanasit and Mr Saiprasit had already sought witness protection because “they fear”, Mr Vicha said.

Dishonest compromise and conspiracy

A previous interrogation report falsely claimed that Pol Col Thanasit and Mr Saiprasit had been questioned on Feb 26 and March 2, 2016. However they actually had been questioned on Feb 29, 2016, Mr Vicha said.

“There was conspiracy among government officials. The committee unanimously sees the interrogation process as a dishonest compromise and conspiracy that ruined the interrogation report from the start,” Mr Vicha said.

His committee proposed to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha that the case be totally re-investigated and legal action be taken against officials responsible. High-level officials might not face criminal or disciplinary actions due to lack of evidence, but could be removed from their positions under the morality law, Mr Vicha said.

Mr Vicha also mentioned late witness Jaruchart Maadthong. He changed his testimony on the Ferrari’s speed from high to low. He said the witness had a connection with Mr Vorayuth. Police were also investigating why the witness’s mobile phone was intentionally destroyed after his fatal crash in Chiang Mai.

Mr Vicha also proposed that the Department of Special Investigation take over the hit-and-run case. He said that about 10 government officials should face legal action over irregularities in the case.

Red Bull Heir fled the scene of deadly hit-and-run accident

Mr Vorayuth, now 35 and also known as Boss, drove the Ferrari that hit and killed Pol Snr Sgt Maj Wichian, 47, in the early morning of Sept 3, 2012. He crashed into the rear of the police motorcycle on Sukhumvit Road. Mr. Vorayuth then fled the scene to his home nearby.

He delayed hearing charges seven times. It was not until April 27, 2017, that prosecutors finally charged him with reckless driving causing death and failing to help a crash victim.

He fled on a private plane two days before he was due to face the hit and run charges.

A speeding charge was later dropped when the one-year statute of limitation expired. A second charge, failing to stop and help a crash victim, expired on Sept 3, 2017. He also had cocaine in his system but wasn’t charged.

The third and most serious charge, reckless driving causing death, would have remained on the books until 2027, but in June the charge had been dropped. Mr Vicha said re-investigation could cover any charge, the statute of limitation remained valid.

Mr Vorayuth is the son of Chalerm Yoovidhya, whose family co-owns the energy drink megabrand Red Bull. He ranks second on Thailand’s richest list, with a net worth estimated at US$20 billion.

Crime

Police Officer Being Ordained at Temple Arrested for Running Scam Call Center

Police in Northern Thailand have arrested a fellow officer as he was being ordained at a temple in Ngao district of neighbouring Lampang province.

Pol Lt Col Bandit Khonkan chief inspector from the Hang Dong police station was disrobed and taken to the Chang Puak station in Chiang Mai. He was arrested on charges of running a call centre scam gang in Chiang Mai Province.

According to Thai Media Chiang Mai Provincial Police Region 5 obtained an arrest warrant for Pol Lt Col Bandit on Friday from the Chiang Mai Provincial Court for procuring illegal telecom equipment, setting up a station and using public airwaves to run a telecommunications business without permission.

Pol Lt Col Bandit reportedly told investigators that he was not the ringleader and was only a member of the gang with Chinese partners.

His arrest followed the apprehension of his 26-year-old daughter, Miss Wanuchapond, 26, and three others during raids at three housing projects in Chiang Mai on Friday, Pol Maj Gen Weerachon Boontawee, deputy chief of Provincial Police Region 5 told Thai media.

During the raids police police discovered around 12 GSM gateways, or SIM boxes, which are devices used for converting cellular networks into mobile phone numbers used domestically.

The chief inspectors daughter Miss Wanuchapond told the arresting officers that she was paid 8,000 baht a month at each of the three locations for renting thr rooms and monitoring devices.

She claimed she had no idea what the devices were and accepted the job because the pay was attractive.

Police investigators working with telecom regulators used a special tracking device to monitor the gang’s communications and learned that its base was in Myanmar opposite Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai.

The call center gang used the GSM gateways to make calls over the internet to scam people in Thailand out of million of baht.

The GSM gateways transmitting signals via SIM boxes to convert them into domestic phone numbers, duping victims into thinking they were being called from Thai government agencies.

Pol Maj Gen Weerachon said that each SIM box held 32 SIM cards, with a capacity of up to 300,000 calls a month. The seized devices had made fraudulent calls over 3.6 million times.

He said the their investigation is ongoing and they are working to track down the remaining conspirators, including Chinese and other Thai suspects.

Authorities are still deciding whether Pol Lt Col Bandit will be dismissed from the force, he said, adding that so far, no other officers are known to have been involved.

Police in Chiang Rai Launch Crackdown on Cyber Criminals in Golden Triangle

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Settha Thavisin has authorized the establishment of an emergency cyber center operated by the Royal Thai Police to combat transnational crimes committed by call center gangs along the Thai border in Chiang Rai province.

On July 19, Prime Minister Settha Thavisin directed the Center to combat information technology crimes. The Royal Thai Police (Royal Thai Police) will crack down on call center gangs in Myanmar, Laos, and along the border.

His directive comes as call center gangs ratchet up their scams to defraud people of their money, causing concern among Thais and jeopardizing the country’s economic and social stability.

Related Police News:

Machete Wielding Man Shot an Killed by Police in Chiang Rai

https://www.chiangraitimes.com/chiangrai-news/machete-wielding-man-shot-an-killed-by-police-in-chiang-rai/

Crime

Thai Immigration Police Arrest Colombian Tourists Over Home Invasions

Immigration police officers have arrested four Colombian nationals in connection with a series of home burglaries at luxury housing complexes in the Bangkok metropolitan area and Chiang Buri Province.

Pol Maj Gen Panthana Nuchanart, deputy commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, told a press briefing that three of the suspects were apprehended in Nonthaburi Province and the fourth in South Pattaya, Chon Buri Province.

According to the Bangkok Post, the Colombians were charged with stealing conspiracy and seized around 3 million baht (US$82,500.00).

According to Pol Maj Gen Panthana, the criminals rode motorcycles through housing estates, scoping out the properties and waiting for the owners to depart before committing their crimes.

He stated that all four of the accused denied any involvement in the home break-ins, but the arresting squad discovered evidence that implicated them.

Police called to home invasion

Meanwhile, police were dispatched to a luxury housing development in Tambon Nong Prue, Chonburi Province, after a Chinese man was attacked during a house invasion.

When they arrived, they discovered the house owner, Mr. Qian Peng Yi, visibly scared and with marks from being tied up with a cable. He informed police that three Chinese males broke into his home at 9 p.m., one of whom brandished a gun at him and directed him to his bedroom.

They bound his hands and feet, gagged him with fabric, taped his head, and forced him into the bed. The intruders then attempted to compel him into transferring 10 million baht in cryptocurrencies to them, endangering the life of his 33-year-old cousin who was in a second-floor bedroom.

While they scoured the house in search of riches, Mr. Peng Yi managed to flee and hide; he subsequently observed them leave with his cousin. Officials investigated the property and analyzed security camera footage from the incident and surrounding areas.

Around 9 p.m., a 30-year-old van driver came at the Bang Lamung police station after being contacted by an agency to carry Chinese customers from Pattaya to Suvarnabhumi Airport.

The driver informed authorities that he was supposed to pick them up at a motel about a kilometer from the Chinese businessman’s home. He then drove them to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport, arriving at 1 a.m. and receiving 1,800 baht.

The driver took a snapshot of the group smoking at the airport gate and identified one of them as the victim’s cousin. Police suspected coordination between her and the three suspects in her cousin’s heist, who all departed Thailand on the same aircraft.

Other Bangkok News:

Police in Bangkok Discover Six Vietnamese Tourists Dead in 5 Star Hotel

Police in Bangkok Discover Six Vietnamese Tourists Dead in 5 Star Hotel

Crime

Son of Thailand’s Leading Legal Scholar on Corruption Arrested for Running Online Gambling Network

The son of a former senator and leading economist and expert on corruption and gambling in Thailand has been arrested for on charges of running an online gambling network and its payment system.

Police from Thailand’s Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) have confiscated assets worth more than (US$ 11.1 million) 400 million baht.

Narote Piriyarangsan, 33, was arrested following crackdowns in three sites around the city, according to Pol Maj Gen Athip Pongsiwapai, commander of the police Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD).

Mr Narote’s father, Sangsit Piriyarangsan, is an economist who has written articles and books about corruption and gambling. He was one of the appointed senators that were investigating the government’s intention to legalize casino gaming before their terms expired.

Police also detained 39-year-old Narayut Narakaew, the owner of the gambling website 69pgslot.com. The Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for the couple for operating an internet gambling service and money laundering.

According to the Bangkok Post, police seized two desktop computers, one laptop computer, 14 mobile phones, 21 bank passbooks, 53 ATM cards, and four high-end cars — a Ferrari 926 GTS, an Aston Martin, a Lexus, and a Subaru — totaling more than 400 million baht.

Police launched the inquiry after discovering the online gambling site, which accepted funds via an automatic deposit-withdrawal system through bank accounts and deposits in the AskMePay system. Players scanned the VPay QR code as well as the QR codes for Heng Online 888 or Heng Pay Company.

Police also discovered that payments received via QR code scans were transferred to the account of Heng Pay Co and then to the gambling website’s mule accounts using AskMePay, which did not use banks’ face recognition scanning. An inquiry indicated a monthly turnover of approximately 5 billion baht.

According to investigators, the website has been up and running for around four years, with the payment mechanism in use for roughly eight months.

According to Pol Maj Gen Athip, Mr Narote owns the gaming website’s payment systems and is the director of Heng Pay Co. After gathering evidence, authorities requested arrest warrants for 14 people.

Thailand does not allow almost any kind of gaming. Even though the law doesn’t say anything specific about online gaming, it is still considered gambling. The country has pretty strict rules about gambling. Thai punters can bet on the national lottery and horse races, but they can’t bet on any other types of games.

But it’s not a secret that there is a huge illegal gaming business in Thailand, even though it’s illegal.

The illegal casinos, online betting shops, underground lotteries, and pop-up bookies that take bets on everything from cockfights to Muay Thai make a shadow economy that is worth billions of dollars every year.