Suspected money launderers for B1.5bn fraud caught

Suspected money launderers for B1.5bn fraud caught

Crime suppression police raid a house in Sakon Nakhon province and arrest a couple (seated centre) for allegedly laundering money for four alleged fraudsters who were earlier caught on charges of swindling many people out of 1.5 billion baht in land and rubber purchase investment scams. (Supplied photo)
Crime suppression police raid a house in Sakon Nakhon province and arrest a couple (seated centre) for allegedly laundering money for four alleged fraudsters who were earlier caught on charges of swindling many people out of 1.5 billion baht in land and rubber purchase investment scams. (Supplied photo)

A couple have been arrested in Tao Ngoi district, Sakon Nakhon province, for allegedly laundering money for a gang that swindled many businesspeople out of 1.5 billion baht in rubber and land investment fraud.

Crime Suppression Division (CSD) police arrested Buarian Maneerat, 57, and his wife Saisawang, 51, at their house in Tao Ngoi district, Pol Col Bunlue Phadungthin, chief of CSD’s sub-division  3, who led the operation, said on Saturday.

Earlier, CSD police and officials from the Anti-Money Laundering Office apprehended two men and two women, in June 2017.

The four  — Mr Phornphan Srisuk, 52, and Mr Songchan Srisuk, 57, both from Sakon Nakhon; Mr Theerayut Srisuk, 33, and Ms Chotiros Saengmanee, 32, both from Roi Et — had been charged with colluding in fraud over the investment of land plots in Sakon Nakhon.

They had duped many businesspeople into investing in the purchases of land plots that would be turned into rubber plantations. The suspects had also lured the victims into investing in buying scrap rubbers for making car tyres. The gang gave handsome profits to the victims in the initial stage of investments. After a huge sum of money had been transferred to them for the investment, the gang had fled, said Pol Col Bunlue.

Authorities later managed to arrest the four and confiscated 10 cars and more than 100 documents related to the investment scam.

CSD extended the investigation and later found the gang had transferred money that they had swindled from the victims to the bank accounts of Mr Buarian and his wife Saisawang, who were subsequently caught.

Seized from the couple were more than 100 items, including loan contracts, title deeds, bank accounts and land purchase documents, with combined worth of over 200 million baht.

During the interrogation, the couple denied all charges, said Pol Col Bunlue.

Buarian Maneerat, 57, and his wife Saisawang, 51, are taken for a media conference after they were caught for allegedly laundering money for four fraudsters in Sakon Nakhon. (Supplied photo)

During the operation, the CSD team also searched another house of the couple and found a 21-year-old man was living there.

The man, identified later as Jiraphan Phaengsee, claimed he had rented land in front of the couple’s house to build a house. However, he failed to produce a land lease contract when asked. The officers searched his house and found three unregistered guns with 51 rounds of bullets and 25 speed pills.

According to the police investigation, Mr Jiraphan was the leader of a gang called Pa Phai (bamboo forest gangster). A criminal record showed he had been caught on charges of attempt murder and illegal possession of firearms.

The CSD police team then handed him over to local police to face charges of illegal possession of firearms and drugs.

Jiraphan Phaengsee, 21, leader of Pa Phai gang, is caught with illegal possession of firearms and drugs. (Supplied photo)

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