BANGKOK – Tourist police have arrested 16 foreign nationals, including 15 Chinese citizens and a Taiwanese man wanted on three arrest warrants, during a raid on a condominium in the Rama 9 area. Investigators linked the group to international scam operations.
Tourist police and immigration officers entered the building on 27 November after receiving a tip about suspicious activity. They detained all 16 individuals inside one of the units in the district.
According to police, 13 of the suspects had breached immigration laws. Twelve Chinese nationals were found to have entered Thailand illegally through informal border crossings. Officers believe they came into the country via Tak province after fleeing Myanmar. Another suspect had overstayed a visa, while three others had valid Prestige visas.
The Taiwanese suspect is wanted in Taiwan on three warrants related to drug offences, fraud, and money laundering. Police said he admitted during questioning that he had previously faced charges for operating mule bank accounts.
He claimed scammers recruited him because of his background in computer science. He told officers he had been assigned to work on romance scams and investment fraud schemes, in return for 50,000 New Taiwan dollars for opening two mule accounts.
Chinese Worked as Scammers in Myanmar
A spokesperson for the Tourist Police said several members of the group had worked for scam networks in Myanmar and escaped after authorities increased border crackdowns. The Taiwanese man and some of the others allegedly crossed into Thailand through Tak province, then travelled to the Rama 9 condominium, arriving at around 4 a.m. on the 27th of November.
Investigators learned that a Chinese woman had rented the unit on a one-year contract. She told police she was the girlfriend of one of the suspects. She claimed she only knew him and two of his friends and denied having any connection with the remaining members of the group.
Police are examining a vehicle believed to have been used to transport the suspects and are checking whether any Thai nationals helped them. Officers suspect the group planned to use Thailand as a stopover before moving on to a third country.
Authorities seized several mobile phones during the raid, including eight phones discovered in one suspect’s luggage. Forensic teams are now examining the devices for evidence linked to online scams.
Immigration officers charged 11 Chinese nationals and a Taiwanese suspect with illegal entry. Another Chinese citizen faces a charge of overstaying a visa. After immigration procedures are complete, officials plan to hand the Taiwanese man over to immigration authorities so they can coordinate with counterparts in Taiwan regarding the outstanding warrants.
Police Arrest French Thief
In a separate case, police on the tourist island of Koh Samui arrested a 29-year-old French man accused of stealing valuables from his neighbour’s home.
Bo Phut police, with support from Surat Thani immigration officers, detained the suspect, identified as Mr Arezi, at his residence on 27 November. The arrest followed a complaint from a 25-year-old man from Chiang Mai, who reported a burglary at his rented house in Moo 5, Bo Phut.
CCTV footage from the property showed a foreign neighbour entering the victim’s home, police said. Officers then went with the victim to the suspect’s house, where the victim immediately recognised his missing suitcase and a portable speaker in the living room.
A search of the property uncovered 13 stolen items hidden in a brown suitcase, with an estimated total value of more than 246,000 baht (£5,300 / $7,650).
Police said the recovered items included a diamond ring worth 150,000 baht (£3,230 / $4,665), a MacBook and an Acer laptop, three watches, several designer perfumes, a JBL speaker, and a pair of Nike Jordan trainers.
According to officers, the French suspect admitted through an interpreter that he had taken the items, but he refused to sign official documents acknowledging his confession.
He has been charged with theft from a dwelling and was transferred to the Bo Phut police station for further questioning. Under Thai law, this charge carries a prison sentence of one to five years and a fine ranging from 20,000 to 100,000 baht (£430–£2,150 / $620–$3,110).
