UTTARADIT: Two women arraigned on fraud charges over an alleged factory lunchbox scam were denied bail by the Uttaradit Provincial Court.
One of them was also sentenced to one year in prison and a fine of 100,000 baht in a separate drug case.
Kanhathai Suksai, 41, and Thanita Chan-im, 43, both from Pichai district, were taken to the provincial court on Thursday. The court denied them bail, Pol Maj Gen Phayu Thanasrisuebwong, acting commander of Uttaradit police, said on Friday.
The duo were charged with fraud in allegedly falsely contracting an Uttaradit woman into supplying 10,000 lunchboxes and drinks for a factory in Phitsanulok which has denied any knowledge of the deal.
The meals and drinks were rejected, plunging the woman into major debt.
Thanita, alias Eiew, had earlier failed to show up to hear an Appeal Court ruling in a drug case in which the lower court had sentenced her to a jail term of one year and a fine of 100,000 baht.
When she was taken to the provincial court on Thursday, the Appeal Court’s decision upholding the lower court’s ruling was also delivered, Pol Maj Gen Phayu said.
Her relatives had earlier prepared assets as a surety for her release on bail in the fraud case. When the Appeal Court upheld the lower court’s ruling, the relatives were caught off guard. They abandoned their plan to request bail for her release in both cases, Thai media reported.
The pair were admitted to the Uttaradit prison.
Thanisorn Guikaew, 42, of Uttradit’s Muang district earlier complained that she had been contacted by two acquaintances and asked to supply lunchboxes and drinks to a major factory in Phitsanulok province under a five-year contract.
According to the contract, she was hired to fill 10,000 styrofoam lunchboxes per day on weekdays, 10,000 bottles of fruit juice drink on weekends, and 30,000 boiled eggs on Mondays and Fridays. The contract began on Nov 3.
However, nobody came to pick up 10,000 lunchboxes prepared on Nov 5. Her drinks were earlier rejected. This caused her to suffer huge losses.
Thai media reported the woman had recruited her family and hired local residents to help fill the lunchboxes and drinks, 60 people in all.
Pol Maj Gen Phayu said on Friday that so far two victims had filed complaints against the two suspects in the fraud case.
Noppakao Phanomsai, 29, a native of Nakhon Ratchasima, had accused them duping her into supplying orange juice drinks, he said, but gave no further details
He believed there were other victims, but they had not yet come forward.
Photo by Boonnum Kerdkaew
Kanhathai Suksai, 41, one of two suspects in the factory lunchbox fraud case, arrives at Phayaman police station in Uttaradit province on Thursday. She and co-suspect, Thanida Chan-im, 43, are accused of fraudulently contracting an Uttaradit woman to supply 10,000 lunchboxes a day to a factory in Phitsanulok. (Photo by Boonnum Kerdkaew)