Police arrested a 26 year old Thai man for defrauding a Chinese national of 1.1 million baht. He claimed to have close connections with a senior police officer and offered to secure the release of the Chinese national’s friend from detention.
The Chinese national filed a complaint against the 26 year old Thai man named Thanajit in March last year over fraud. The incident began when his friend was arrested for violating the Computer Crimes Act, and their bail request was denied. Seeking to secure his friend’s release, the Chinese man approached Thanajit.
Thanajit falsely claimed that his father was a soldier and that he had close ties with a deputy commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB). He ensured the Chinese man that he could bail his friend out with his connections.
In September, Thanajit requested an initial payment of 50,000 baht, claiming he needed the funds to entertain CIB officers. The money was transferred to a bank account belonging to another Thai man named Nirundon, whom Thanajit falsely identified as his father.
On the same day, Thanajit demanded an additional 42,000 baht, which was transferred to a bank account belonging to a third party, a Thai man named Naphapok.
Thanajit continued to demand money from the Chinese national, claiming he needed to bribe officials or host extravagant meals for senior government officers to secure the bail.
Eventually, the Chinese man and his Thai girlfriend grew suspicious of Thanajit’s claims. They noticed inconsistencies, such as the lack of a police insignia on documents linked to Thanajit’s supposed father. When they tried to follow up on the case, Thanajit avoided their calls.
The couple decided to file a police report on April 28 this year, revealing that they were defrauded of 1.1 million baht.
On November 25, police arrested Thanajit at his rented room in Soi Pattanakarn 10/1 in Bangkok’s Suan Luang district. The suspect admitted to his crimes and confessed that he had spent the money on personal expenses.
The man also revealed that he had been evading arrest by moving between provinces and had only recently returned to Bangkok.
Thanajit has been charged under Section 342 of the Criminal Code for committing fraud. If found guilty, he faces a penalty of up to five years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to 10,000 baht, or both.
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