Police are planning to summon a doctor of a state-run hospital as soon as they have evidence to substantiate an accusation she fooled other doctors into investing in a fake tourism company.
Investigators are questioning 13 victims for more information on the suspected scam, after one of them, Flight Officer Dr Nijcha Rutthapichairak, also a doctor at a state-owned hospital, brought the complaint to the Crime Suppression Division on Sunday.
According to an initial investigation, there are a total of 38 "investors," consisting mainly of doctors. Others, who share the same fate, are engineers, university lecturers, flight attendants and military officers.
The damage allegedly caused by the cheating is estimated at 64 million baht.
Dr Nijcha identified the alleged fraudster only as a doctor with a rank of acting lieutenant commander at a public hospital. The suspect was a friend from high school, she said.
The complaint is now being handled by the Economic Crime Suppression Division after police met Dr Nijcha, together with other 12 victims.
The suspect probably has no tourism business as she did not give dividends to the investors as promised, said Pol Lt Col Somchai Phosuwan, deputy chief of the Economic Crime Suppression Division, referring to the victims' accounts.
The victims believed the suspect has lied to them as she refused to give back their money, including their principal.
If evidence suggests the main suspect was indeed at fault, "we will proceed to issue a summons" to question her, Pol Lt Col Somchai said.
So far police have interrogated two of the 13 victims, and will resume the process on Friday morning.
According to an account given by Dr Nijcha, the suspect last year invited her to invest in a company named V Siam Agency, claimed to book hotel rooms for foreigners. The firm belongs to the suspect's boyfriend named "Cho".
FO Dr Nijcha agreed to join the scheme because her friend promised high interest rates of 6-18% a month. The promise of handsome profits also drew many other people, who put up between 80,000 and 12 million baht.
It is not like a pyramid scheme as so-called investors are not required to find new members for commissions, Dr Nijcha said.
The physician invested 500,000 baht in August and later received a dividend. This encouraged her to invest more. Later she was told her investment would yield dividends of about 300,000 baht from last August to February.
A problem occurred last month when Dr Nijcha did not receive the dividend. The suspect explained briefly her account was frozen.
She was unable to reach her after that. Dr Nijcha could not contact the suspect by phone. She did not find the suspect at her home or workplace. She was told only that she was on annual leave.
The case of 38 victims is similar to one other case being investigated by the Department of Special Investigation. Itsara Khantiwong, along with 40 victims, suspect they may also have been cheated by a tourism company, Night Day Travel Ltd, which promised high returns.
The company had paid dividends since 2014, but closed in March this year. The company owner said it will return their money but the victims claim their payments are with his shareholder, whom he still cannot contact, Mr Itsara said.