Crime

Phuket Travel Agent Charged With Slashing Chinese Tourist

Phuket Travel Agent Charged With Slashing Tourist With a Knife

A Phuket travel agent seen on a TikTok video attacking a Chinese tourist claims he punched her first before she slashed him with a knife in a dispute over a refund. The video depicts a fight between a Chinese tourist and a Thai woman who yells at him in Thai. She then kicks him and uses a small knife to sever his arm.

According to reports, the 36-year-old tourist paid a 5,000-baht deposit to the Blue Ocean Travel Company for a 9,000-baht tour package for his family for a one-day trip to the Similan Islands. However, the tour agency did not appear on the scheduled date of January 31.

The tourist was unable to contact the travel agent and believed he had been duped. He reported the incident to the Karon Police Station in Phuket, expecting authorities to assist him in recovering his money.

Phuket Travel Agent Charged With Slashing Tourist With a Knife

The Phuket travel agency, however, agreed to refund only 3,400 of the 5,000-baht deposit.

Dissatisfied with how the police handled his complaint, the tourist approached the agent directly to demand the full deposit be returned. The ensuing altercation was captured on a YouTube video.

The superintendent of Karon Police Station, Pol Col Kundech Na Nongkhai, announced on Monday that the travel agent at the centre of the dispute had been arrested.

Wiree, 44, admitted to officers that she had injured the Chinese tourist with a knife, which was later turned over to police as evidence, she has been charged with bodily harm that resulted in injury.

According to him, an initial investigation revealed that the Blue Ocean company has a valid certificate of operation, but his officers are looking for reasons to temporarily suspend operations.

Later that day, the local branch of the Tourism Department suspended the tour company’s license for six months for causing damage to Thai culture and tourism.

However, tourist police told the Tourism and Sports Ministry a different story. According to them, the Chinese tourist and his travel agent misinterpreted the meeting location, causing his group to miss the trip.

When the tourist demanded a full refund, the agent explained that her company had already paid a 1,600-baht entry fee to the Similan Islands. Only the remaining $3,600 would be refunded, according to the agent.

On February 1, the tourist returned to the tour company’s office to demand a full refund. The tour operator insisted on receiving 3,600 baht. According to this version of the story, the tourist became frustrated and punched the agent twice in the face and body before smashing a glass pane in the office.

The woman then exited the office, followed by the tourist, who recorded the rest of the incident on his phone. The tour agent admitted to the attack but claimed it was in self-defense. On February 2, the Chinese tourist left the country.

110 Immigration Officers in Thailand Charged With Issuing Illegal Visas

Illegal Visa’s for Chinese

More than 100 immigration officers are suspected of illegally issuing visas to Chinese investors in so-called grey businesses, according to Immigration Bureau (IB) commissioner Pol Lt Gen Pakphumpipat Sajjaphan.

According to Pol Lt Gen Pakphumpipat, they will be charged with malfeasance and demanding and receiving benefits in exchange for illegal services. There are three police generals and officers of all ranks among the 110 police suspects.

In addition to criminal charges, they will be investigated for serious disciplinary violations, according to Pol Lt Gen Pakphumpipat.

He predicted that the investigation report would be completed and sent to the national police chief, Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas, this week.

Deputy National Police Chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, who is in charge of the investigation, said yesterday that the report would be presented to the national police chief this week.

The 110 Immigration officers were accused of criminal conspiracy by establishing firms that process visa applications for foreigners, particularly Chinese nationals who enter Thailand on a tourist visa but then obtain non-immigrant visas despite not meeting the necessary business or volunteer criteria, he said.

According to Pol Gen Surachate, these officers forged the signatures of provincial governors and allowed photo identification for visa applicants during the pandemic, despite the fact that the law requires applicants to report in person.

The majority of cases, according to the investigation, have been discovered in the northern and northeastern regions. According to Pol Gen Surachate, the crimes took place between mid-2020 and 2022.

As a ruse to extend their visa, many applicants submitted documents pertaining to their stay issued by language schools or volunteer foundations.

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.