PUBLISHED : 16 Feb 2024 at 14:42
A Chinese national, wanted in his home country for duping people into investing in a sports-related fraud causing about 2.5 billion baht in damages, has been arrested in Sathon district, Bangkok.
Immigration police apprehended the 32-year-old suspect, identified only as Huang Min, in Thung Mahamek area on Thursday.
Holding dual Chinese-Cambodian nationality, Huang Min was wanted under a warrant issued by the Criminal Court on Feb 8 for the extradition of a foreign criminal, Pol Maj Gen Phanthana Nutchanart, commissioner of the Immigration Bureau (IB), said during a media briefing on Friday.
The arrest was made at a request of the Chinese embassy in Bangkok, seeking Thailand’s assistance in arresting the suspect and facilitating his return to China to face trial for public fraud.
A suit was filed against him on July 20 last year, after Chinese police found out that he and his accomplices used “Wanhe Footall” gambling platform to deceive people in China into investing in a new form of sports-related scheme.
The suspects had set up a group called “Zhonghe” to persuade victims to invest with them. Between March 2022 and April last year, many people had fallen victim to the gang, with damage amounting to 500 million yuan or about 2.53 billion baht, said the IB chief.
An arrest warrant for Huang Min was issued on Dec 9 last year. Chinese authorities later discovered that the suspect had fled to Thailand using a Cambodian passport. Cooperation between authorities from both countries led to the suspect’s arrest and he will be sent to stand trial in China.
Pol Maj Gen Phanthana Nutchanart, commissioner of the Immigration Bureau (IB), announces the arrest of the Chinese fraud suspect during a media briefing on Friday. (Photo supplied/Wassayos Ngamkham)