Ten police officers, including the former chief of Chon Buri police, have been charged with involvement in the alleged extortion of 140 million baht from six suspects in an online gambling case, deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn said on Monday.
Pol Gen Surachate said the 10 officers reported to acknowledge the charges against them on Monday.
Eight of them were attached to Provincial Police Region 2, and included Pol Maj Gen Kamphon Leelaprapaporn, 54, until recently chief of Chon Buri police. The two others were from the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau.
Pol Gen Surachate said the eight Region 2 officers were charged with demanding and taking bribes in violation of Section 149, abuse of power under Section 157 and posing threats to the life, liberty, reputation or property of others in breach of Section 309 of the Criminal Code.
The two CCIB officers were charged with violating Sections 157 and 309 of the Criminal Code.
The ten officers were released after giving their statements during interrogation.
Some of the Region 2 officers confessed to the charges and provided useful information in the case. The two CCIB officers denied the charges, he said.
Pol Gen Surachate said three civilian suspects in the case who were subject to arrest warrants had not turned themselves in.
One of them, Veera “Boy” Nasap, had contacted police saying he would surrender, but had not shown up. Police had been informed he had fled abroad, Pol Gen Surachate said.
Another suspect, Pisit “Ton” Kanisornpanee, had also fled, to Cambodia. The third civilian suspect, Mr Veera’s wife Laddawan, was also reported to have fled abroad.