A key player in a human trafficking gang has been arrested in Sa Kaeo for duping victims into working for an online gambling outfit in Cambodia.
A suspect, identified only as Ms Chusri but going by the alias "Je Pla", was arrested at an apartment in tambon Nong Waeng of Khok Sung district. A mobile phone, two passbooks and a pickup truck were also seized.
The investigation stemmed from a recent case where 21 Thais were tricked into working in Phnom Penh, Deputy Immigration Bureau chief Pol Maj Gen Archayon Kraithong said yesterday.
Pol Maj Gen Archayon said the gang mostly deceived victims via advertisements on Facebook for allegedly well-paid jobs with an online gambling operation in Cambodia. The gang had been using the ruse for some time, with the suspect reportedly receiving 2,000-2,500 baht for every employee she sourced.
After they agreed, the suspect would pinpoint a location for victims to illegally cross the border in Aranyaprathet district.
Upon reaching Cambodia, a Chinese group would detain the victims at a building for five months and force them to dupe other Thais into investing in an application named "Spell".
If they refused to comply, the victims would be fined 75,000 baht each. They were also threatened and had their wages deducted if they failed to hit a monthly target, Pol Maj Gen Archayon said.
The suspect faces several charges including colluding to employ people to work overseas without permission, and helping people leave the kingdom illegally.
Meanwhile, a pickup carrying illegal migrants overturned yesterday on a road in tambon Ban Na in Maha Rat district of Ayutthaya, killing 3 and injuring 15.