Major Asian call scam suspect extradited from Albania to Thailand

Major Asian call scam suspect extradited from Albania to Thailand

Police escort Tzu Yuan Kuo at Suvarnabhumi airport on Wednesday. (Photo: Immigration Bureau)
Police escort Tzu Yuan Kuo at Suvarnabhumi airport on Wednesday. (Photo: Immigration Bureau)

The alleged second-in-command of a major Taiwanese call scam gang extradited from Albania has arrived back in Thailand to face prosecution for fraud committed against victims in Thailand and other countries in Asia, the Office of the Attorney-General announced.

Deputy spokesman Prayut Petcharakhun said public prosecutors and Interpol officials accompanied Tzu Yuan Kuo on the flight from Albania, landing at Suvarnabhumi airport on Wednesday morning .

According to Mr Prayut, the suspect is deputy leader of a call scam gang that preyed on victims across Asia, by calling random phone numbers over the internet.

The gangsters pretended to be officials of various agencies - the courts, Thailand Post, police, the Department of Special Investigation, Bank of Thailand, the Office of the Narcotics Control Board and the Anti-Money Laundering Office.

The gang misled their victims, saying that their bank accounts were found to be involved in drug cases and that they could bribe officials to free the accounts, if they were first given money. The  "bribed officials" were also bogus.

The gang was based in Dubai. Public prosecutors started legal action against the gang in 2018 and Phra Khanong Court issued arrest warrants, which were then subject to Interpol red notices.

The Taiwanese suspect was arrested in Tirana, capital of Albania, on Sept 27 last year.

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