Police arrested a member of the notorious Roi Et crash-and-extort gangs in Udon Thani province on Monday, after she swindled 6,700 baht from a fresh victim.
Pol Maj Gen Chaiyat Saithin, chief of Udon Thani police, told the press on Tuesday that Paweena Kheokham, 21, was arrested with the money in a Bangkok-registered black Toyota Altis sedan.
Shortly before, she had extorted the 20-year-old driver of a pickup truck on the Mitrapharp Highway in Khok Klang sub-district of Non Sa-at district.
The Udon Thani police chief said that about 4pm on Monday the victim, Supachai Sap-asa of Khon Kaen province, was driving his blue Isuzu pickup truck behind Miss Paweena's vehicle, which was deliberately being driven very slowly. He was being followed by a Toyota Vigo pickup truck driven by her boyfriend.
When the victim went to pass the slow car in front, the Toyota truck driver moved up rapidly behind him and blew his horn. At the same time the sedan in front turned into the path of the victim's truck and hit it. The accomplice's Toyota truck then sped away.
"The two vehicles involved in the 'accident' pulled over. Miss Paweena, who drove the sedan, demanded 15,000 baht in compensation. She received 6,700 baht after they bargained, and then drove away suspiciously fast," Pol Maj Gen Chaiyat said.
It was only then the victim and relatives in his pickup remembered hearing stories of people in Roi-Et being conned by crash-and-extort gangs using similar tactics.
His mother-in-law then phoned a police officer she knew in Non Sa-at district, who then asked highway police to stop the Toyota Altis sedan.
Pol Maj Gen Chaiyat said Miss Paweena admitted to the crime. She said was a native of Roi Et province, and was raised in a village in Chang Han district, where the crash-and-extort gangs originated. She and her boyfriend had begun using the same criminal ploy after moving to live with a relative in Udon Thani.
She said they had caused two such previous accidents, but the provincial police chief said victims from at least four such "accidents" showed up to point the finger at Miss Paweena. Some victims said other people had driven the same sedan in their earlier crashes.
Last September police arrested a 38-year-old member of a Roi Et crash-and-extort gang. The suspect was quoted as saying the scam involved more than 40 other people using more than 20 vehicles.
His arrest followed reports of more than 100 similar incidents involving victims in northeastern provinces including Kalasin, Khon Kaen, Maha Sarakham, Nong Khai, Roi Et and Udon Thani.
The main target victims were women driving alone, old people, and people driving old vehicles unlikely to be insured -- because they were more vulnerable to demands for compensation.
The suspect arrested last year said he earned more than 100,000 baht per month and his gang sometimes pulled the scam several times in one day, extorting 5,000 baht to 20,000 baht each time.
Victims show the Toyota car used by a crash-and-extort gang at the Udon Thani police station on Tuesday. (Photo by Yuttapong Kumnodnae)