Chiang Rai News
Police in Chiang Rai Intercept High Tech Equipment Used by Scam Gang
Police and customs officials in Chiang Saen, Chiang Rai seized a considerable amount of high-tech equipment suspected to belong to an international call center scam gang. Police believe the scam gang has relocated from Myanmar to the Chinese-controlled special economic zone in Laos.
Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop Bhuridej, chief of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), told a press briefing that customs authorities in Chiang Saen discovered over ten cardboard and plastic boxes under a tree on the Mekong River’s bank in the Chiang Rai Golden Triangle region near the Thai-Lao border a few miles from the Chiang Rai four seasons.
The boxes contained 94 desktop computers and accessories, 347 mobile phones, and 15 Chinese-language notepads, among other stuff.
After reviewing files saved on computers and phones, police forensic investigators concluded that fraudsters used them to fool victims over the phone.
Equipment discovered by customs officials in Chiang Saen district of Chiang Rai province are displayed during a briefing. Photo by Wassayos Ngamkham
The CIB chief also said the boxes contained 4,998 SIM cards supplied from the United Kingdom and 10 high-speed Starlink satellite internet receivers sent from Japan. Authorities also discovered proof of multiple romance and investment scams in chat logs, dialogue scripts, and bogus social media profile photographs.
There were also details about mule accounts and financial transactions. Police said the majority of the gang’s victims were Chinese, Japanese, Europeans, and Americans.
A huge plastic bag stashed in the woodland along the riverside contained five mobile phones with SIM cards, bank passbooks, ATM cards, and password-protected documents. The seized commodities were worth an estimated $145,000.00.
The packets were confiscated at the border near the renowned Kings Romans casino in a Chinese-run special economic zone across the river in Laos. This fueled speculation that the casino complex could be the gang’s new operational base after it migrated from Myanmar, where the military regime is under increasing pressure from rebel groups, particularly in border areas.
“I believe that this gang is part of a large transnational network, which allows them to move quickly if their current location is unsafe,” Lieutenant General Jirabhop, the police officer in charge, said.
A 16-year-old Chinese teenager, standing and wearing a black T-shirt, gives details about his escape to police officers. Photo by Surachai Piragsa
Chinese Teen Escapes from Scam Gang
Meanwhile, in the early hours of Friday, a Chinese youngster leaped from a car to seek police assistance in Prakhon Chai district, stating that another Chinese national had given him and his pals restaurant jobs in Vietnam, but they were instead deported to Laos and then Thailand.
Pol Col Witsanu Apornpong, chief of the Prakhon Chai station, along with police, immigration, and military intelligence officers, questioned the 16-year-old boy known only as Sukai after he jumped from a moving automobile on Highway 24 on the Nang Rang route.
After arriving in Prakhon Chai around half past midnight, Sukai instantly unlocked a car door and sprinted toward the police station. Closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras filmed the incident as he ran down the road.
During questioning, the adolescent informed police, through an interpreter, that he was from Hubei province in China and had been convinced to work at a Vietnamese restaurant after a Chinese acquittal. He and ten other buddies were, however, transferred to Laos instead.
According to Sukai’s statement, he and the others were separated upon arrival in Laos. He, a Chinese companion, and two Thais were later led across the border into Thailand. A car was ordered to pick them up, but they had yet to determine where the driver would take them. When he saw a signpost with the word “Police,” he jumped out of the car and rushed to the police station for assistance. His pal did not dare to depart.
A police source said the Chinese buddy could now be contacted after seeking assistance from authorities at Wang Chao station in Tak province. Sukai’s mother had phoned the Thai consulate in China to arrange for his return.
Police claimed there was no clear information in this instance as to whether Sukai and the others were illegally trafficked into Thailand or pushed into working illegally, such as for a phone scam gang.
