CHIANG MAI – Provincial police have reported the arrest of two Chinese men and a Thai woman at a popular shopping centre, and seized over 1.1 million baht in cash from mule bank accounts linked to scam gangs.
Lt. Gen. Krittaphon Yee Sakorn, Region 5 Provincial Police Commander, told reporters that early findings show the suspects were following orders from a leader in China, who sent them to Thailand to supervise Thai account holders.
Their main job was to withdraw money from mule accounts linked to scams involving fake investments, purchases and other fraudulent transactions. Police believe this group is tied to a gang that was recently caught.
The suspects were identified as Mr Qin Long, 29, and Mr Zhang Luping, 30, both Chinese nationals, and Ms Sudarat Aree, 40, a Thai national. Police seized 1,140,000 baht in cash, three Thai bank books and four mobile phones. All three face charges of fraud and violating the anti-money laundering law.
Their arrests came after security personnel reported suspicious activity at a large shopping centre in Chiang Mai’s city centre. They saw several people making repeated large cash withdrawals from ATMs, with two Chinese men watching closely.
When police officers approached, the group tried to escape, but they were surrounded with no escape route. During early questioning, both Chinese suspects admitted they came to Thailand on tourist visas about a month ago, sent by a Chinese boss.
Their task was to collect cash from mule bank accounts from ATMs, then redeposit it into other accounts as instructed. They said they had done this over ten times. Ms Sudarat said she used her accounts to withdraw money on the men’s instructions, claiming she did not know where the money came from.
She received a fee of 5,000 to 10,000 baht per transaction for opening accounts and making withdrawals.
Lt. Gen. Krittaphon said that these suspects travelled directly from China to receive cash, and that the gang is linked to call centre scammers who target both Chinese and Thai victims.
These scams include fake product sales, crypto investment fraud and other illegal activities. Investigators found that victims in three cases in Bangkok and Songkhla lost more than 680,000 baht, all transferred into Ms Sudarat’s accounts.
Police have also identified a Thai national in Songkhla who helped Ms Sudarat open her accounts, and an arrest warrant has been issued. Officers plan to track down every link in the network. This group’s working methods match those of a cash-mule gang recently arrested in the Maeping area, suggesting they are connected.
Lt. Gen. Krittaphon stated that ongoing pressure and stricter measures at the Thai border and neighbouring countries have disrupted many call centre operations. Recent border clashes and repatriations have also helped.
As a result, call centre scams in northern Thailand and the eight-province Region 5 area have dropped by 90%. Some scam activity remains, traced to areas near Tachilek in Myanmar and Poipet in Cambodia, but the overall number of victims is now far lower.
