Crime

Woman in Thailand Suspected of Murdering 12 People Through Cyanide Poisoning

A Criminal Court Thailand has granted investigators’ request to continue detaining a prominent police officers former wife, who is accused of killing a woman through cyanide poisoning.

Ms. Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn is the former wife of a prominent police officer and is accused of being involved in the deaths of a dozen others with whom she had contact and who died in identical circumstances.

According to Deputy National Police Chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, two more dead victims have been linked to Ms. Sararat, raising the total to 12.

There was one survivor who has been providing authorities with information about her contact with the accused. The woman was killed through cyanide poisoning and her heart stopped beating, thankfully a doctor was able to restart it in time. Pol Gen Surachate stated that police were interviewing her.

Ms. Sararat was arrested with an arrest warrant on Tuesday at the government office complex in Bangkok by Crime Suppression Division (CSD) officers. According to investigators, she was in possession of a vial of cyanide.

Top Police Officers Wife Arrested Over 6 Cyanide Poisoning Cases

Her arrest came after the mother and elder sister of the late Siriporn “Koy” Khanwong, 32, of Kanchanaburi, filed a complaint with the CSD on April 14. Ms. Siriporn fell and died in Ratchaburi’s Ban Pong district, where she had gone with friends to release fish for merit-making. Cyanide was discovered in her body.

Investigators suspected Ms Sararat was the person who put cyanide in Siriporn’s food, causing her death. She is also accused of stealing the victim’s possessions. This resulted in her arrest.

According to Pol Gen Surachate, the two most recent deaths linked to the investigation of cyanide poisoning occurred in the districts of Don Tum and Muang in Nakhon Pathom.

Despite the fact that some remains have been incinerated, authorities say they have circumstantial evidence and witnesses to back up their claims. Some bodies also have autopsy reports accessible, he added.

According to a source familiar with the investigation, the woman who survived has only been identified as Ms Kantima, alias Pla, the wife of a border patrol police officer in Kanchanaburi.

On Tuesday night, Ms Sararat was escorted to CSD headquarters for questioning.

Investigators took her before the Criminal Court on Wednesday morning and were granted permission to keep her for another 12 days, from April 26 to May 7, while testimonies were obtained from ten additional witnesses. They are also awaiting the findings of an autopsy and a review of criminal case records.

She was detained in detention when the police objected to her bail.

Pol Col Anek Taosupap, a deputy CSD commander, stated that Ms Sararat refused to provide information throughout her interrogation. She also declined to give a blood sample for DNA evidence testing.

Ms Sararat is the rumored ex-wife of a police constable superintendent. They divorced in 2022, but they still see one other on occasion because they have two children.

Cyanide Poisoning

Cyanide poisoning occurs when someone inhales, ingests or absorbs cyanide, a toxic chemical compound that prevents cells in the body from using oxygen properly. This can cause serious harm to the body’s organs, particularly the heart and brain, and can even lead to death.

Symptoms of cyanide poisoning can vary depending on the severity of exposure, but some common signs include headache, confusion, dizziness, rapid breathing, rapid heart rate, nausea and vomiting, seizures, and loss of consciousness. If you suspect cyanide poisoning, it is important to seek immediate medical attention.

Treatment for cyanide poisoning may include administering an antidote such as hydroxocobalamin, which binds to cyanide in the blood and forms a nontoxic compound that can be excreted by the body. In some cases, oxygen therapy or other supportive measures may also be necessary.

Prevention of cyanide poisoning can involve taking appropriate precautions when working with cyanide, such as wearing protective clothing and using proper ventilation, as well as being aware of the potential sources of cyanide in the environment, such as fires and certain industrial processes.

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.