Natthamon ‘Nutty’ Khongchak arrested in Indonesia after two years on the run for forex trading scam
PUBLISHED : 25 Oct 2024 at 20:26
UPDATED : 25 Oct 2024 at 20:33
Former YouTube celebrity Natthamon “Nutty” Khongchak and her mother arrived back in Thailand on Friday evening to face charges of swindling thousands of followers out of 2 billion baht through a foreign-exchange trading scam after they were arrested in Indonesia.
The two suspects were met at Don Mueang airport by Pol Lt Gen Thawatchai Piyaneelabut, assistant national police chief; and Pol Capt Wissanu Chimtrakul, deputy director-general of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI). They departed in a DSI vehicle.
Before being taken from the airport, Natthamon said briefly to reporters that she wanted to apologise to all the victims. She and her mother declined to give any details about the case.
Natthamon was wanted on 13 arrest warrants issued by Thai police Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau investigators. Her mother Thaniya Khongchak was wanted on two warrants on the same charges, said Pol Lt Gen Thawatchai. The case was later taken on as a special case by the DSI.
The two suspects and Natthamon’s secretary, Nichaphat Rattanukrom, fled Thailand in July last year through a natural border crossing in the South. They headed to Kuala Lumpur before boarding a boat to illegally enter Indonesia, said Pol Lt Gen Thawatchai.
Indonesian police arrested Natthamon and her mother on Oct 18 in Dumai on Riau province on the island of Sumatra for illegal entry. Ms Nichaphat remains at large.
Pol Col Wissanu said the DSI and police had already seized assets worth 16 million baht from the suspects involved in the pyramid scheme that Natthamon is accused of operating.
The investigation is being expanded to examine the money trail so that more assets would be seized.
More than 6,000 people fell victim to the scheme with losses estimated at 2 billion baht, said the DSI deputy chief. So far, 445 victims have filed complaints against Natthamon and the others involved.
Natthamon, 31, attracted more than 800,000 subscribers to her YouTube channel, “Nutty’s Diary”, where she mostly posted dance videos.
Capitalising on her popularity, she later presented herself as an investment guru, promising high returns to more than 6,000 people, many of whom later reported they had not received any payouts.
The arrests of Natthamon and her mother followed efforts by fraud victims, led by lawyer Phaisal Ruangrit, who filed complaints on Aug 24, 2022.
The lawyer said the former YouTuber had used her popularity to lure victims with the promise of high returns in a short time.
She invited people to deposit money in her account, promising 25% returns for three-month contracts, 30% for six-month contracts and 35% for 12-month contracts. She pledged to pay returns every month.
Natthamon “Nutty” Khongchak attracted more than 800,000 subscribers to her YouTube channel, “Nutty’s Diary”, where she mostly posted dance videos before she decided to become an investment guru. (Photo: @nutty.suchataa Instagram)