“The police are inevitably corrupt.” A quote from Frank Herbert’s novel “God Emperor of the Dunes” may be true in the case of a group of cops in Thailand who are allegedly preying on foreigners to extort money. A Chinese expatriate originally from Vanuatu who filed a complaint with Thai law enforcement said extortion police forced him to hand over cryptocurrencies worth at least $165,000 to police officers.
Thailand: 7 corrupt cops arrested
Thai authorities announced on Wednesday that they had arrested seven suspects in the case digital currency fraud from Sai.
The arrested police officers were Police Lieutenant Colonel Chanachai, Police Captain Amnuay, Senior Police Sergeant Major Chayaphon, Senior Police Sergeant Pornthep, Senior Police Sergeant Major Manaswee and Senior Police Sergeant Siam.
Reports indicate that Sai, a man of Chinese descent and Vanuatu citizenship, was in exile in Thailand with his family when the incident occurred.
Thai authorities also announced that three other cops involved in the crime, namely Police Captain Thanakrit, Senior Police Sergeant Major Suphan and a Police Sergeant, surrendered on October 28, while two suspects who served as translators during the crime, Ms. Aphatsara and Mr. Aphatsara . Yun, stay free.
A corrupt police gang demanded 300 million baht, or 10 million USDT, to drop the case. #Thailand #corruptpolice https://t.co/7CR6tMdWfW
— Khaosod English (@KhaosodanEnglish) November 1, 2024
Unauthorized search
Sai testified that a group of people posing as Thai police officers visited their home in Bang Phli Yai in the Bang Phli district of Samut Prakan province, claiming that the officers showed him what appeared to be a search warrant allegedly issued by the Samut Prakan provincial commander. Court.
Sai admitted that he did not verify the contents of the document because he or another member of his household knew Thai. He added that the only thing that allowed him to believe the document was genuine was the government seal, which is why he allowed police to search the house.
The suspects used two translators to communicate with the family, claiming that the Filipino told them that Sai was involved in a fraudulent passport case filed at the Criminal Court in southern Bangkok.
Sai said police officers confiscated their mobile phones and computer, threatening to charge them with illegally employing foreign housewives.
Extorted money
According to Sai’s testimony, the crooked cops offered to drop him from the case if he paid USDT 10 million or the equivalent of 300 million Thai baht, claiming that he rejected their offer because he believed he was innocent and did not have much Thai wealth. money with him.
As a result, the police took him and his household members to Building B of the government convoluted, where the bandit policemen lowered their demand to 10 million baht, to which he did not agree.
Sai said he was brought to an interrogation room where he complied with their demand for $165,000, or 5.6 million Thai baht, adding that he transferred USDT 149,253 to the digital wallet of one of the translators, Aphatsara, so that his family could be released.
A few days later, Sai said he sent another 20,895 USDT after corrupt cops demanded he hand over 700,000 Thai baht to find out who 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 for 12 suspected extortionists.
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