The runaway bride arrested for allegedly duping numerous "husbands" out of 3 million baht, and her real husband were both wanted on several warrants for other offences, police said on Friday.
Police from the Crime Suppression Division arrested Jariyaporn Buayai, 32, in Krathum Baen district of Samut Sakhon and her real husband Kittisak Tantiwatkul, 33, in Samphran district of Nakhon Pathom on Thursday night.
Pol Lt Gen Thitirat Nonghanpitak, commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau, said on Friday that Ms Jariyaporn had lured at least 11 men in various provinces into marrying her, and made off with more than 3 million baht of their money. He believed there were also other victims.
Ms Jariyaporn had been wanted over the past two years on four warrants, issued in Chanthaburi, Chumphon, Rayong and Loei provinces, for alleged fraud and forgery of official documents.
Her husband Kitti had five warrants out for his arrest, for alleged theft, embezzlement and fraud.
Ms Jariyaporn usually got to know her victims through Facebook, then developed a sexual relationship with them, offered co-investment in her "fruit trade business", claimed to get pregnant, demanded marriage, and then made off with the grooms' dowries, investment money and, in at least one case, the victim's vehicle.
Pol Lt Gen Thitirat said the parents of Ms Jariyaporn were hiding. Police would find out if they had conspired in the fraud. Both parents had attended their daughter's marriages to her victims.
The CIB commissioner said her cousin Soipet Paleewal, 27, would not be charged because she had not been aware Ms Jariyaporn had used her ID card to open bank accounts to receive money from her quarry.
Victim Pairat Puengsuk, 28, from Phetchabun province, alleged on Friday Ms Jariyaporn had stolen his Toyota Vigo pickup truck and lured him into giving her 180,000 baht, which he had to borrow.
He was disappointed she had cheated him, and planned to bring legal action against her.
Ms Jariyaporn said on Friday she had not intended to cheat the men, and she had married only seven men.
The men had voluntarily given her money to co-invest in her fruit business, she said.