Police arrested three men aged 37-62 for alleged fraudulent online lottery sales and found their illicit business was worth 15 million baht over the past three months.
According to the Consumer Protection Police Division, Palapol Khongthan, 37, Pong Sukjit, 38, and Surasak Nusrisai, 62, were arrested at their house on Sept 29 for operating illicit sales of government lottery tickets via lottery168.com and pheenoilottery.com websites.
They allegedly scanned government lottery tickets and posted the images for sale online. They did not deliver ordered lottery tickets to buyers and secretly sold real tickets to wholesalers in Nonthaburi province before each draw.
The police division said that the suspects also used the bank accounts of dead people for transactions. The illicit business started in June and about 15 million baht was circulated through bank accounts used by the gang.
Police seized from the three suspects ten sets of computers and scanners, about 20 bank account books and about 10 mobile phones used for online transactions.
The suspects were charged with committing public fraud, inputting false infornation in a computer system and organising a lottery without authorisation.
Mr Palapol is a native of Ayutthaya province. He was arrested in Chom Thong district, Bangkok. Mr Pong was arrested in Bangkok Noi district and Mr Surasak was arrested at his house in Bang Kruai district, Nonthaburi.