PUBLISHED : 16 Feb 2024 at 11:38
Police conducted raids on four locations in Bangkok and two other provinces connected to a major pirated film broadcasting website that has been operational for nearly two decades, causing about one billion baht in losses to movie agents.
Officers from the Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECD) raided two locations in Bangkok and one each in Surin and Surat Thani to crack down on piracy networks streaming pirated films via siambit.com website, Pol Maj Gen Phutthidet Boonkrapheu, commander of the ECD, said on Friday.
The raids followed complaints from many movie agents concerning pirated films being streamed through this website.
The ECD began the investigation, sending officers to gather evidence. They found that the website was operated by a well-organised piracy network. The investigation team then sought approval from the Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court to issue warrants for searching the four premises.
The website, which initially provided free film streaming, later began charging membership fees.
Over its 18-year existence since 2006, it attracted more than 100,000 members and distributed more than 50,000 films, causing over one billion baht in damages to film agents, according to Pol Maj Gen Phutthidet.
The investigation also found that the network had about 60 million baht in circulation, he said.
Police seize evidence from one of the four premises linked to a major pirated film broadcast website. (Photo supplied/Wassayos Ngamkham)
During the raids, the officers seized nine bank accounts, two ATM cards, 29 computer hard disk drivers, three computers, one tablet, two mobile phones, 33 memory cards and numerous flash drives. The investigation was being extended to bring those behind the operation of film piracy to task.
As of now, no charges have been filed against anyone, said Pol Maj Gen Phutthidet.