TRAT: A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a 30-year-old woman accused of swindling people in Trat out of at least 500 million baht through a lottery investment scheme.
The Trat provincial court on Friday approved a warrant for Jittra Yothapirom of Khlong Yai district in Trat on a charge of collusion to defraud.
Pol Col Nawin Theerawit, chief of Muang police, said there had been a stream of people filing complaints against the accused woman this week.
On Friday, the number of complaints was above 50 for the second day.
Alleged losses already totalled at least 500 million baht, with complaints filed at Khlong Yai police station still to be added in, the police chief said. (continues below)
People file complaints against Jittra Yothapirom at Muang police station in Trat on Friday. (Photo: Jakkrit Waekraihong)
“The Trat provincial court has already approved an arrest warrant for one suspect, Ms Jittra Yothapirom, aged 30, a resident in Khlong Yai district, for colluding in fraud," he said.
"Police are now tracking down the suspect, who is believed to have fled. Warrants will be sought for the arrest of her accomplices.
"Five bank accounts used in the alleged fraud have been impounded,’’ Pol Col Nawin said.
One complainant, a hotel operator in Trat, said she had invested with Ms Jittra since last December and had received returns after every lottery draw. Payments had ceased with the April 16 draw.
The hotelier declined to disclose how much she had invested. But she said the total damage caused to people drawn into the scheme could be as high as 4 billion baht. She had heard that one person had invested as much as one billion baht.
Muang police station in Trat. (Photo: Jakkrit Waekraihong)