LAMPANG – Cyber Police have arrested a nine-person group linked to mule accounts used by scammers. Officers say the gang included a ringleader, mule account holders, and people assigned to withdraw and move cash.
The group allegedly travelled from Phrae, booked a room at a hotel in central Lampang, then waited to receive and transfer money through cash deposit machines (CDM) to break up the money trail.
Cyber Police said the arrests followed an investigation launched after 16 December 2025. Investigators learned that scam victims had been tricked into transferring money before the funds were withdrawn in cash at a bank branch in Lampang.
After checking CCTV from the bank and nearby areas, officers identified three people arriving together. One was Mr Wanchalerm, from Mae Koeng Subdistrict, Wang Chin District, Phrae, believed to be a mule account holder.
Two other men, whose names were not confirmed at the time, were seen acting as the driver and the person supervising cash withdrawals.
Further enquiries led police to a hotel on Suan Dok Road, Suan Dok Subdistrict, Mueang Lampang District, where the suspects were staying. Officers found a total of nine suspects there. Police named Mr Suphakrit, 41, from Phatthana Nikhom Subdistrict, Phatthana Nikhom District, Lopburi, as the person overseeing the operation.
Three other male suspects were said to be in charge of controlling the withdrawals and passing on the cash. Police also found four female suspects who were allegedly hired to open bank accounts in Lampang.
Investigators said the group travelled together from Phrae, while Mr Suphakrit waited in Lampang before bringing them to the hotel. The room was used as a meeting point while they opened accounts and waited for funds to arrive.
Cyber Police allege Mr Suphakrit then took the mule account holders to withdraw cash, before handing it to Mr Somchai to deposit into a CDM, so the money could be transferred onto other accounts.
During the search and arrests, police seized 360,300 baht in cash. The suspects reportedly told officers the money came from cash withdrawals made using mule accounts.
Cyber Police have charged all nine suspects with participating in a criminal association under Section 209 of the Criminal Code, along with other related offences. The suspects and seized items were handed to investigators at Mueang Lampang Police Station for legal proceedings.
Thailand’s Cyber Police, officially the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) under the Royal Thai Police, focuses on tackling cybercrime. The bureau took shape around 2020, as online fraud spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since then, the CCIB has worked to track down and stop threats such as call centre scams, cryptocurrency fraud, online gambling, money laundering, and human trafficking rings, many of which run across borders from nearby countries.
People often refer to the CCIB as the “Cyber Police”, and it’s also linked with the Technology Crime Suppression Division. The unit carries out raids across Thailand, seizes assets worth billions of baht, and teams up with international partners such as Interpol. Its goal is simple: break up criminal networks and help keep people in Thailand safe online.
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