Four Chinese nationals, accused of defrauding authorities in Wuhan of nearly 87 million baht in land expropriation compensation, have been arrested separately in Chon Buri and Samut Prakan after allegedly using retirement visas to hide in the country.
Officers from the Special Service Division (SSD) and the Immigration Bureau apprehended three Chinese men at a luxury residence in tambon Huai Yai of Bang Lamung district in Chon Buri province. A Chinese woman was also arrested at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Samut Prakan.
The suspects were identified only as Mr Chen, 55, Mr Yuan, 54, Mr Fei, 51, and Ms Luo, 54. All four were arrested under the Immigration Act on the grounds that they were considered individuals posing a threat to society, public safety or national security.
Pol Lt Gen Natthasak Chaowanasai, commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau, and Pol Maj Gen Theerachart Theerachartdamrong, commander of the SSD, ordered the operation after the Lancang-Mekong Law Enforcement Cooperation Centre (LMLECC) sought a request from Thai authorities to track down the four suspects, who were wanted under arrest warrants issued by the Wuhan Public Security Bureau in China on charges of document forgery and fraud.
According to the investigation, the suspects were linked to a contractor involved in demolition and landscape rehabilitation projects in Wuhan. They allegedly falsified documents and records to fraudulently obtain compensation payments for demolition and land expropriation from Wuhan New City Land Management Co.
Investigators said the group used the names and bank accounts of other individuals to receive the payments, causing damages estimated at more than 18 million yuan or nearly 87 million baht.
Authorities later discovered that the suspects had fled to Thailand and were living in hiding, using retirement visas.
After tracing their movements, investigators identified a luxury house in a residential estate in tambon Huai Yai as the group’s primary safe house.
The arresting team obtained a search warrant from the Pattaya Provincial Court before raiding the property and arresting Mr Chen, Mr Yuan and Mr Fei. Ms Luo was apprehended at Suvarnabhumi International Airport.
All four suspects were transferred to the Immigration Bureau’s detention facility pending extradition proceedings to China.
