A 29-year-old Chinese man, Zhu Jiagen, was arrested on June 15 outside a 7-Eleven store in Pattaya while attempting to withdraw nearly one million baht from an ATM—money authorities suspect is tied to a transnational call centre scam.
Police from Pattaya City Police Station, in coordination with the Chon Buri Transnational Crime Suppression Unit, apprehended Zhu as he was withdrawing 951,000 baht in one-thousand-baht notes. Officers also confiscated a white Nissan Teana with Bangkok plates and several bank deposit slips.
Zhu was already wanted under a warrant issued by the Pattaya Provincial Court on multiple charges, including involvement in a secret criminal organization, public fraud, computer crime, and money laundering.
Authorities had been monitoring Zhu for several days after discovering he was hiding near Bang Lamung temple in Pattaya. His suspicious banking activities prompted a coordinated surveillance effort, which led to the arrest once his identity was confirmed.
According to Thai police, the arrest is part of a broader crackdown on international scam operations targeting Thai citizens via fraudulent call centre schemes. Investigations are ongoing, and officials are actively tracking other members of the criminal network.
Zhu remains in custody and will be prosecuted under Thai law, according to Pattaya Mail.
In related developments, Thai Tourist Police recently arrested another Chinese national accused of defrauding victims of over 50 million baht. Additionally, on June 11, authorities dismantled a major scam network operated by 27 Vietnamese nationals in luxury Bangkok villas, which ran large-scale romance scams throughout Thailand.
These actions are part of a national directive aimed at tackling firearm-related crimes and outstanding warrants, aligning with Thai police efforts to protect residents and tourists from criminal syndicates.
