A Chinese man has been arrested in Bangkok for working illegally and overstaying his visa after fleeing to Thailand to escape arrest in his home country for a 10-million-baht fraud.
The 42-year-old suspect, identified only as Ming, was apprehended in the lobby of a hotel on Ratchadaphisek Road in Chatuchak district, senior immigration officers said on Friday.
The arrest came after the Immigration Bureau received information that a foreigner who appeared to be Chinese was suspected to be working and staying illegally in Bangkok.
Immigration officers discovered that the suspect was staying at a condominium in the Ramkhamhaeng area. He earned a living by providing private tour services to Chinese visitors who did not want to deal with tour companies, according to immigration police.
The arresting team tracked Mr Ming down and arrested him at a hotel in the Ratchadaphisek area while he was helping some Chinese visitors to check in.
When officers asked him to produce documents, they found that his visa had expired on Feb 3. He was charged and detained for legal action.
The Immigration Bureau also learned from Chinese authorities that Mr Ming was wanted for fraud offences committed in January last year.
According to the information from China, he had claimed to be a sales manager for a wine company. He duped retailers by offering to sell them rare wines at a 10% discount.
Chinese authorities said Mr Ming received money from the retailers but never supplied any wine. The victims lost around 2 million yuan, the equivalent of 10 million baht, said immigration officers.