UTTARADIT: Two women at the centre of an alleged factory lunchbox scam were arraigned on fraud charges in Uttaradit provincial court yesterday.
The suspects had allegedly contracted a woman in Uttaradit to supply 10,000 lunchboxes and 10,000 bottles of fruit juice every day to a factory in a nearby province. However, no one came to pick up the food and the factory denied all knowledge of the order.
Kanhathai Suksai, 41, and Thanita Chan-im, 43, both from Phichai district, surrendered at Phayaman police station on Wednesday evening and denied any wrongdoing, Pol Maj Gen Phayu Thanasrisuebwong, acting commander of Uttaradit police, said.
They were charged with colluding in fraud and agreed to testify in court. As a result of their surrender, they were later released, Pol Maj Gen Phayu said.
Pol Maj Gen Phayu said Ms Kanhathai had been involved in six criminal cases, mostly related to fraud, in Uttaradit and Phitsanulok provinces previously.
The other suspect, Ms Thanita, had previously been involved in 10 criminal cases, ranging from embezzlement, document falsification, fraud and drugs in Phitsanulok and Uttaradit provinces, the acting Uttaradit police chief said.
So far, only one person had filed a complaint against the two women. However, investigators learned there were several other people who may have been duped by the suspects. He urged them to contact the Phayaman police station.
The lunchbox scam came to light when Thanisorn Guikaew, 42, of Uttaradit's Muang district, complained she had been contacted by two acquaintances and asked to supply lunchboxes and drinks to a major factory in Phitanulok province under a five-year contract.
According to the contract, she was hired to fill 10,000 styrofoam lunchboxes during the weekdays, 10,000 bottles of fruit juice on the weekends, and 30,000 boiled eggs on Mondays and Fridays starting on Nov 3.
Ms Thanisorn said she had mortgaged her car to a finance firm to get money for the investment. On Nov 3, the first day of the contract, she supplied fruit juice drinks to the hirer, but the drinks were returned.
The hirer claimed her drinks did not comply with the contract conditions and that the supplier must pay a fine of 150,000 baht. The hirer then asked her to supply a new batch of fresh juice drinks on Nov 4 to void the fine, Ms Thanisorn said.
On Nov 5, she and her family prepared 10,000 lunchboxes at their home, but nobody came to pick them up. She and her mother Jok Nutsri, 60, then filed a complaint with Phayaman police, demanding 299,000 baht in damages from the hirer.
Police investigators found Ms Kanhathai and Ms Thanita were involved in the hire contract.
