Crime

Police Officers Tortured Elderly Man into False Murder Confession

A preliminary fact-finding inquiry by the Royal Thai Police indicated that two police officers in Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province tortured an elderly man into falsely confessing to killing his wife.

His wife was, in reality, murdered by a group of youths aged 13 to 16, according to investigators. According to reports, two attackers were senior police officers’ sons.

Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, a deputy national police chief, stated that Panya Khongsaenkham, the victim’s 54-year-old husband, accurately identified the police officer who forced him to strip in a cold, air-conditioned room and the other who placed a black plastic waste bag around his head.

According to Pol Gen Surachate, these activities constituted torture to force Mr Panya to admit to killing his wife, Buaphan Tansu, 47.

Mr Panya, currently in a government institution for vulnerable people, claims he was shown images of every officer at the Aranyaprathet station and asked to identify the suspects.

Mr Panya was arrested shortly after his wife’s body was discovered on January 12, and he confessed to killing her. However, security video later revealed that five adolescents were responsible for her killing.

Audio recordings of conversations between the lead investigator at the Aranyaprathet station and his colleagues also show that the police officers knew they had “the wrong guy“. Ms Buaphan’s body was cremated on Saturday.

So far, the inquiry has established that the two officers accused of torturing Mr Panya violated the police disciplinary code as well as Section 157 of the Criminal Code, which deals with desertion of duty and misconduct, according to Pol Lt Gen Somprasong Yentuam, chief of Provincial Police Region 2.

Police torture

Legal action against two police officers

After the investigation, a panel will give over all evidence acquired to the Sa Kaeo Provincial Police. The latter will investigate whether the cops violated the 2022 Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance Act, according to Pol Lt Gen Somprasong.

The National Human Rights Commission said in a statement that it would seek the Attorney-General’s Office to explore taking legal action against the two policemen under anti-torture legislation.

A source close to the investigation named the two officers as Pol Snr Sgt Maj Phisek Phuangmalipradap, an investigator, and Pol Lt Col Phichit Watthano, a deputy chief investigator.

In a similar development, national police head Torsak Sukvimol announced that the force would shortly submit research findings on decreasing the maximum age of juvenile delinquents to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and the Ministry of Justice for consideration.

An increase in significant crimes committed by minors has prompted proposals to decrease the criminal responsibility age to provide proper punishment in the legal system.

Gruesome murder of an elderly woman

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin stated that the administration will consider the advantages and drawbacks of toughening legal sentences for young offenders who commit major crimes.

He made the remarks in response to requests for harsher sentences for juvenile delinquents following the gruesome murder of an elderly woman, allegedly by five youngsters aged 13 to 16, in Sa Kaeo’s Aranyaprathet neighbourhood.

The suspects, captured on a surveillance camera beating the victim in Aranyaprathet, later admitted to killing Buaphan Tansu, 47, and dumping her body in a pond on January 11. They are now in custody in connection with her murder.

Mr Srettha spoke to reporters at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Friday after returning to Davos, Switzerland, to attend the World Economic Forum.

The premier said he directed national police chief Pol Gen Torsak Sukvimol to investigate the alleged misconduct of several police officers at the Aranyaprathet district police station who are accused of torturing Buaphan’s husband, Panya Khongsaenkham, 54, into falsely confessing to his wife’s murder.

“The police must release the investigation results and inform the public about what transpired. The prime minister stated that the Royal Thai Police is responsible for restoring public trust and taking harsh legal action against officers who have committed wrongdoings.

Nearly 60,000 Chinese Tourists Cancel Thailand Visit After Siam Paragon Mall Shooting

Stiffer Juvenile Penalties

Responding to proposals for harsher sanctions for juvenile criminals who commit significant crimes on purpose, Mr Srettha stated that he would first consult with the national police head about the benefits and drawbacks.

Chaichana Detdacho, a Democrat Party MP for Nakhon Si Thammarat, has advocated for harsher penalties for juvenile delinquents who commit such crimes, particularly in light of the Siam Paragon shooting rampage by a 14-year-old boy in Bangkok on October 3 of last year, which killed three people and injured four others.

In the Aranyaprathet murder case, a copy of the Line conversation history retrieved from the boys who admitted to killing the woman revealed they had a predisposition for violence and behaved more like a juvenile crime syndicate than typical teenagers, according to Mr Chaichan.

Pol Gen Torsak apologised on Friday for the alleged misbehaviour by Aranyaprathet police personnel. He spoke when he flew to Sa Kaeo yesterday to monitor the murder inquiry.

He stated that he would investigate the specifics of the alleged misbehaviour before providing a public explanation and that if the officers were proven guilty, they would face disciplinary and criminal consequences.

Deputy national police head Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn claimed he had listened to six voice snippets leaked online, which revealed that Aranyaprathet district police knew they had arrested the incorrect person in Buaphan’s murder.

He stated that he believed the clips were genuine and that it was his responsibility to investigate the alleged misbehaviour by police officers.

Arrested shortly after his wife’s death was discovered on January 12, Mr Panya allegedly confessed to the crime before footage from a security camera revealed the five boys were to blame.

Mr Panya claimed he was compelled to strip in an air-conditioned room and told he couldn’t leave until he signed a written confession, according to Pol Gen Surachate.

Senator Wallop Tungkananurak, writing on Facebook, proposed the formation of a multidisciplinary panel to analyse the behaviour of young criminals. He wrote that if they committed significant offences on purpose, the commission should propose harsher penalties.

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.