In a recent press briefing, Deputy Chief of CCIB, Pol Lt Gen Amnat Tripoj announced that a Chinese man named Yuan Jian, was linked to a criminal faction. The group, comprising around 50 members, is believed to have swindled over 400 individuals via phony online loaning platforms.
The crackdown, he explained, started late-April when law enforcement tracked down 52 individuals, all of whom played a part in these websites. These platforms baited potential victims with advertisements and text messages promising hefty loan sums at negligible interest rates.
Amnat elaborated, “Post victim agreement to the terms, they were directed to transfer a fee in addition to a pre-payment to the scammers’ account. However, the victims never received the promised loan amount.”
At present, the investigative division, CCIB, has managed to round up 37 suspects, the majority of whom are Chinese nationals. The monetary trails led to Yuan Jian’s apprehension on Tuesday and resulted in a search of three condo units in Bangkok believed to be linked to the gang members.
Amnat further informed that the CCIB, in collaboration with the Anti-Money Laundering Office, is working towards confiscating the assets discovered within the aforementioned condos. These assets, which are estimated to value over 100 million baht, range from laptop computers and luxury timepieces to high-end products and bank passbooks showing deposits of 2 million baht.
In the ongoing investigation, the police suspect that Yuan Jian’s spouse, Hou Jinsuo, who is also a Chinese native, has escaped to Singapore with four others believed to be involved in the scheme.
Yuan Jian, according to reports, admitted that upon receiving the money from the victims, her duty, along with her husband, was to convert the cash into crypto coins and offer them at reduced prices to entice potential customers.
