Two Malaysian men said to be linked to an illegal transnational call centre gang were arrested in Prawet district of Bangkok yesterday.
Crime Suppression Division (CSD) police apprehended Saw Chooi Hock, 41, and Saeo Wei Jack, 35, in front of a coffee shop on Ramkhamhaeng 2 Soi 11 in the Dok Mai area of Prawet. Seized from them were seven ATM cards, 61,000 baht in cash, two mobile phones and four cash withdrawal slips.
The arrests followed an investigation into the activities of a gang said to consist of about 10 Thai, Malaysian and Taiwanese nationals who duped people into transferring money into their bank accounts. The gang used Taiwan as their base, said CSD officers.
Last month, a member of the gang claiming to be a high-ranking police officer telephoned one victim in Rayong and asked to examine the person's bank accounts. He told the victim that the accounts had been linked to a drug trafficker.
The victim transferred 2.7 million baht as requested by the caller but later found out he had been duped and filed a complaint with the CSD.
CSD investigators began tracing the financial transactions of the gang, which led them to the two Malaysian suspects, who were seen withdrawing cash from ATMs at several shopping malls.
The pair confessed that they were part of the gang but said their only role was to withdraw cash when the gang leader contacted them by phone. They claimed they had never met the gang leader and other members in person.
Police initially charged them with colluding to possess and use other people's electronic cards to cause damage to the victims, and with illegal entry.
They are in police custody pending further legal action.
