SONGKHLA: Three Malaysians and a Thai woman allegedly involved in a call-centre scam gang have been caught in Hat Yai district.
A combined team of immigration and tourist police in Hat Yai caught the four suspects while they were withdrawing money from ATM machines at various downtown venues on Friday night.
Seized from them were 17 ATM cards, 10 bank passbooks of various Thai commercial banks and three Malaysian passports. Several bags containing clothes for men and women were also seized.
The three Malaysian suspects -- two men and one pregnant woman -- were identified as Muhammad Kamarul Bin Zainal Abidin, 43; Muhammad Zaiyid Binkasali, 28; and Ms Nuramadina Bideenuradin, 26. The Thai suspect was Arleedor Latae, 40, of Hat Yai district.
During the interrogation, all suspects confessed to having used ATM cards to withdraw money from ATMs at several shopping malls in Hat Yai and they kept changing clothes to avoid being noticed.
After getting the money, they planned to transfer it to bank accounts of a person who hired them. However, they refused to name the mastermind. They claimed the would get 2% of the drawn money and they had done this for about two weeks.
The suspects told police they had rented apartment rooms in Hat Yai district while doing the job.
Police handed over the four suspects and the seized items to police at Hat Yai police station for further action. The investigation was being extended to arrest other members of the gang.
ATM cards, bank passbooks of various commercial banks and cash are seized from the alleged scam gang members in Hat Yai district, Songkhla, on Friday night. (Photo by Assawin Pakkawan)