In a dramatic early-morning operation on February 5, 2025, Thai police raided a luxury villa in Bangkok to apprehend two Chinese nationals, Li Weijie, 30, and Ye Wanyou, 29, suspected of masterminding a large-scale cross-border scam operation. The arrest quickly escalated into a physical confrontation, with both suspects attempting to destroy digital evidence.
The operation began when Li Weijie arrived at the Patio Ratchayothin Village, located in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district. Upon seeing the police, Li resisted surrendering his phone, leading to a struggle with officers. Meanwhile, Ye Wanyou, his accomplice, barricaded himself inside the villa, and police had to force their way in. They discovered Ye urgently trying to erase data from his devices.
“These are not just low-level operators,” said Police Lieutenant General Thatchai Pitaneelaboot. “The evidence from their phones shows they are leading major criminal operations, controlling call centers and laundering money across several countries.”
The raid uncovered a wealth of evidence, including a luxury Mercedes Benz Maybach S580e valued at 11 million baht, designer goods worth 4.3 million baht, over 400,000 baht in cash, and five mobile phones containing critical scam operation data.
The suspects are accused of running SMS scams and creating fake social media pages impersonating police and anti-money laundering organizations to deceive fraud victims. Their “double-tap” scam promised victims help in recovering lost funds, but instead, they were tricked into falling for additional frauds.
Both Li and Ye have denied the charges, as police continue investigating what appears to be a wide-reaching international scam syndicate.
