Six suspected members of two major call centre scam gangs have been arrested in Thailand, with authorities seizing cash and assets valued at approximately 42 million baht. One of the suspects, a Chinese national, was reportedly managing digital wallets containing around 70 billion baht in transactions.
In the first case, officers from the Technology Crime Suppression Division apprehended Chen Yon Lai, 52, a Chinese man, alongside a Thai accomplice known only as Anan. Both were wanted on arrest warrants issued by the Criminal Court for charges related to public fraud, transnational crime, false information input, and money laundering.
Seized from the suspects were 11 million baht in cash, two computers, seven mobile phones, eight bank accounts, 13 cash cards, five vehicles, and various other assets. The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) commissioner, Pol Gen Jirabhop Bhuridej, detailed the arrests during a press conference on Monday.
Chen was taken into custody at a luxury residence in the Phasicharoen district of Bangkok, while Anan was apprehended in Chachoengsao province. Earlier investigations had already led to the arrest of five alleged call centre scammers who had created a fraudulent Facebook page impersonating the CIB to defraud victims.
An extended investigation uncovered the involvement of additional suspects, including Chen and Anan, who managed the digital wallets for illegal transactions and converted digital assets into cash to finance their call centre operations. Police sought court approval to arrest them, conducting searches at eight locations across Bangkok, Samut Prakan, Chachoengsao, and Nakhon Ratchasima.
“Both Chen and Anan denied all charges, but investigators were skeptical, especially given that some mobile phones seized from Chen were linked to applications managing digital wallets associated with other scammers,” said the CIB chief. “There was over 70 billion baht in circulation in those wallets.”
Chen emerged as a key player in the scam network, responsible for laundering money through digital currencies for gangs operating from Cambodia. He had also utilized Thai nominees to purchase properties and vehicles and held an elite visa.
During the raid, Chen’s wife and their three children were found in the house. Reports indicated that he had arranged for his wife to register her marriage with a Thai man, seeking Thai nationality for their children.
In a separate case, another Chinese national, identified as Zheng, 31, was arrested alongside three accomplices, including a former police officer, aged 70, and two Cambodian men, aged 31 and 35. Zheng faces charges of illegal entry and is wanted on an Interpol red notice for technology-related crimes resulting in damages exceeding 40 million yuan.
Zheng was arrested on Highway 33 in the Muang district of Sakaeo, while his accomplices were captured at the Rong Klua border market in Aranyaprathet district. This arrest followed findings from the CIB’s anti-online scam operation center, revealing that local residents were persuaded to open mule bank accounts for scammers and facilitate illegal transactions across the Thai-Cambodian border.
The police closely monitored this gang’s activities before arresting Zheng and his accomplices. Authorities confirmed that Zheng was also sought by Chinese authorities for cyber crimes affecting 121 victims, resulting in damages of over 40 million yuan. The three accomplices were reportedly hired to recruit individuals for call centre scamming in Cambodia, earning 3,000 baht for each person they brought in.