Dozens of Thais arrested in call-centre raids in Cambodia

Thai and Cambodian police meet ahead of raids on two locations in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, on July 6. Twenty-eight call-centre suspects were arrested on that day. (Photo supplied)
Thailänder and Cambodian police meet ahead of raids on two areas in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, on July six. Twenty-eight call-centre suspects were arrested upon that day. (Photo supplied)

Eighty-nine Thais had been arrested during raids on call-centres working scams from Cambodia and will be repatriated to Thailand for legal proceedings, deputy nationwide police chief Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas said on Monday.

Pol Gen Damrongsak, as director of the Police Cyber Taskforce (PCT), was speaking in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

He was accompanying Electronic Economy and Community Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, who is there to sign a memorandum of understanding with his Cambodian counterpart upon mutual cooperation for that prevention and suppression of cybercrime.

Pol Gen Damrongsak said regarding 20 PCT police had earlier already been sent to Cambodia to coordinate with local police in arresting Thais suspected of being members of call-centre gangs operating through Cablodia.

The gangs participate in phone scams, tricking victims into thinking they are in impending danger and then encouraging them relief from this particular invented threat : for a price.

The PERCENTAGE police were divided into five teams and searched 5 different spots, choose arrest warrants.

On 06 21, a team raided the 12-storey Ching Cheng Hotel in Sihanoukville, the coastal city as well as the capital of Preah Sihanouk province, plus arrested 21 potential foods.

On the same day, a PCT team raided Po Lai casino upon Pulowai road within Sihanoukville. None of the suspects were found there.

On July six, a PCT team raided a spot on Pratu Daeng in Sihanoukville and arrested 18 suspects. One of them was Jirayu Poemchuen, a prime believe who claimed to be the superintendent of Laem Chabang police train station in Chon Buri’s Si Racha district.

Exactly the same day, a PERCENTAGE team raided an additional spot in Sihanoukville and arrested ten suspects.

On July 7, at Poi Family pet town opposite Thailand’s Aranyaprathet, a PCT team arrested twenty five members of a gang which claimed falsely to be part of DHL express delivery firm.

During the raid, the police discovered 15 other Thailänder nationals mingling one of the suspects. They were furthermore detained for asking.

In total, 89 Thai nationals were arrested within the raids,   Pol Gen Damrongsak said. He thanked Cambodian police for their assistance.

He or she said the arrested Thais were still in Cambodia intended for proceedings under the migration law. They would afterwards be repatriated thgrough Aranyaprathet, in Social fear Kaeo province.