Immigration police have arrested a Russian man accused of heading a gang that sold fake passports in Thailand, earning at least 30 million baht from the customers.

The group ran advertisements on applications including Telegram and WhatsApp, claiming it could legally grant passports for 15 nationalities in return for digital payment. It also registered a company in Thailand to provide added credibility, police said.

Police obtained a United States passport, which the Overseas Criminal Investigation Unit determined to be fake.

The fake passports that had been sent to customers were found to have come from the Dominican Republic via FedEx. The losses incurred by the victims were initially reported at over 30 million baht.

Further investigation revealed that Russian national Artem Tyshkevich was in charge of the operation. He is facing charges of producing, selling and importing fake passports.

Seized from his Bangkok residence were mobile phones, laptops, bank passbooks and foreign credit cards.