“The police are inevitably corrupt. » A quote from Frank Herbert’s novel God Emperor of Dune could be true in the case of a group of cops in Thailand who prey on foreign nationals to extort money from them. A Chinese-Vanuatu expat who filed a complaint with Thai law enforcement said extortionist officers forced him to give officers cryptocurrencies worth at least $165,000.
Thailand: 7 corrupt cops arrested
Thai authorities announced on Wednesday that they had arrested seven suspects involved in digital currency extortion in Sai.
The arrested police officers were Police Lieutenant Colonel Chanachai, Police Captain Amnuay, Police Senior Sergeant Major Chayaphon, Police Senior Sergeant Major Pornthep, Police Senior Sergeant Major Manaswee and Police Senior Sergeant Major of police Siam.
According to reports, Sai, a man of Chinese origin and citizen of Vanuatu, was staying in Thailand with his family as an expatriate when the incident occurred.
Thai authorities also said that three other police officers involved in the crime surrendered on October 28, namely: Police Captain Thanakrit, Police Sergeant Major Suphan and Police Sergeant, while two suspects who served as interpreters during the crime, Ms. Aphatsara and Mr. Yun, remain at large.
The gang of corrupt police officers demanded 300 million baht, or US$10 million, to drop the case. #Thailand #corruptpolice
– Khaosod English (@KhaosodEnglish) November 1, 2024
Unauthorized search
Sai said a group of people claiming to be Thai police officers went to their home in Bang Phli Yai, Bang Phli district, Samut Prakan province, saying the officers had shown them what appeared to be a warrant. search warrant which would have been issued by the Samut Prakan provincial police station. Court.
Sai admitted that he had not checked the contents of the document since he or any other member of his family could read the Thai language. He said the only thing that made him think the document was authenticated was the government seal and so he allowed the cops to search the house.
The suspects used two interpreters to communicate with the family, saying a Filipino told them Sai was involved in a fake passport case filed at the Southern Bangkok Criminal Court.
Sai said police seized their mobile phones and a computer while threatening to charge them with illegally employing foreign maids.
Money extorted
According to Sai’s testimony, the rogue cops offered him to drop the case if he paid 10 million USDT or the equivalent of 300 million Thai baht, claiming he refused their offer because he believed himself innocent and didn’t have that much Thai money. money with him.
As a result, the police took him and his family to Building B of the government complex, where the bandit police reduced their demand to 10 million baht, which he did not accept.
Sai said he was brought to the interrogation room where he submitted to their demand for $165,000 or 5.6 million Thai baht, adding that he transferred 149,253 USDT to the digital wallet from one of the interpreters, Aphatsara, so that his family could be freed.
Several days later, Sai said he sent another 20,895 USDT after the corrupt police officers asked him to give 700,000 Thai baht to find out who had reported him to the cops.
Report the incident to the authorities
Sai decided to hire a lawyer to investigate the incident, which revealed that the criminal charges were a fraud. He reported the incident to the Bang Sue police station, which led to a manhunt operation against the 12 suspects involved in the extortion.
Featured image of DALL-E, chart by TradingView
