A Chinese man identified only as Ming has been arrested in Bangkok for working illegally and overstaying his visa after fleeing to Thailand to escape arrest in his home country for a 10-million-baht fraud scheme. The 42-year-old suspect was apprehended in the lobby of a hotel on Ratchadaphisek Road in the Chatuchak district, according to senior immigration officers on Friday.
The arrest followed information received by the Immigration Bureau regarding a foreigner suspected of working and residing illegally in Bangkok. Immigration officers discovered that Ming was staying at a condominium in the Ramkhamhaeng area, where he was reportedly providing private tour services to Chinese visitors who preferred not to engage with tour companies.
The arresting team tracked Ming down and arrested him while he was assisting some Chinese visitors with check-in at the hotel. Upon requesting his documents, officers found that his visa had expired on February 3. He was subsequently charged and detained for legal action.
Further investigation revealed that Ming was wanted by Chinese authorities for fraud offenses committed in January of the previous year. He allegedly posed as a sales manager for a wine company, duping retailers by offering rare wines at a 10% discount. Chinese authorities reported that Ming received payments from the retailers but never delivered any wine, resulting in losses of approximately 2 million yuan, equivalent to 10 million baht.