BANGKOK – Crime Suppression police have arrested four Chinese nationals accused of running an online scam operation in Bangkok on Sunday. The suspects were named as Xiahou Xin, 29, Liu Ming, 28, Li Lei, 22, and Zeng Lingquan, 21. All are Chinese citizens recently arrived in Thailand from Cambodia on tourist visas.
Police seized two desktop computers said to be used for video editing and facial manipulation, two laptops with records of financial transactions in Cambodia, 60 mobile phones, two small bags of crystal methamphetamine, and drug paraphernalia.
Assistant National Police Chief Lt Gen Jiraphop Phuridej told reporters the operation followed a probe that linked the group to a Chinese scam network. Investigators believe the condominium was used to produce fake video clips and to carry out fraudulent financial activity.
During interviews, the suspects said they were recruited via the Telegram app to alter videos and process payments for a China-based scam syndicate. They told officers they were paid 20,000 to 30,000 yuan per month, about 2,800 to 4,200 US dollars, with occasional bonuses for meeting targets.
Crime Suppression police believe the group previously worked in Cambodia and Malaysia, and that several senior Chinese organisers fled Cambodia and are now hiding in Thailand.
All four face charges of involvement in a transnational criminal organisation, membership of a secret society, and possession of a Category 1 narcotic. Police are tracking the wider network and reviewing digital evidence.
Also on Sunday, the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) and the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) police executed coordinated searches at 36 locations in Bangkok and Trat Province.
The raids targeted assets linked to Ly Yong Phat, a 67-year-old Cambodian senator of Chinese-Thai descent and a leading businessman from Koh Kong Province. He owns LYP Group, one of Cambodia’s largest conglomerates.
Two condominium units on Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok were among the key locations searched. Officers found no residents inside, only building staff on site, and seized financial papers and property records.
According to Khaosod News, authorities also froze a land plot valued at about 5 million baht, around 154,345 US dollars, in Wang Krajae subdistrict, Mueang District, Trat Province, and bank accounts holding more than 88.2 million baht, around 2.7 million US dollars.
Officials said these actions followed a cybercrime investigation that tied Ly Yong Phat to a Chinese-led scam and money-laundering network. Evidence points to an organised group with members assigned to handle illicit funds and profits.
Police later secured arrest warrants for five suspects in the network. They include Ly Yong Phat, his associate Chokchai Supapha, 37, and three Chinese nationals, all accused of conspiring to commit money laundering and taking part in an organised transnational crime group.
