A 34-year-old Thai saleswoman, Panida, has been arrested in Bangkok for allegedly defrauding clients by selling non-existent air conditioning units. The arrest took place in the Ramkhamhaeng area after a detailed investigation by the Bangkok police force.
Panida was taken into custody following an arrest warrant issued by the Criminal Court. She is facing multiple charges, including theft involving two or more individuals, embezzlement, document forgery, and the use of forged documents. The police apprehended her at a car park in Min Buri, Bangkok.
The investigation into Panida’s activities began in October last year when her actions raised suspicions. She allegedly deceived several clients, including second-hand car tent owners, convincing them to transfer money for air conditioning units that she claimed her company could not supply.
Panida, employed at a company distributing air conditioning units and other cooling systems, began showing signs of fraudulent behavior in September. She forged a fake order of four air conditioning units worth 229,500 baht but only reimbursed the company 165,000 baht, leaving a 69,000 baht deficit.
The fraud came to light when clients, including car tent owners, reported they had never made any such orders. Further investigations revealed that a real estate company also refuted Panida’s claims of a sale.
Authorities discovered that Panida’s motivation for the fraud was linked to her online gambling addiction, which placed significant financial strain on her. She has since been handed over to the Huamark Police Station for further legal action.