A suspected scammer who deceived foreign victims into believing he could produce fake Thai passports was arrested on Saturday as part of a nationwide crackdown on criminals funded by entities in China.
Police executed a warrant issued on May 24 by the Phra Nakhon Tai Kwaeng Court to arrest 48-year-old Thanitpong, whose last name was withheld. The suspect, wanted for fraud, was apprehended in the parking lot of an upscale condominium in the Ramkhamhaeng area of Bangkok.
Authorities said Mr Thanitpong offered services to foreigners residing in Thailand, claiming he could produce Thai passports in exchange for a deposit of 600,000 baht. The funds were transferred to a bank account named Tengyong.
The victim behind the report that led to his arrest said that after the initial payment in October 2023, the suspect demanded an additional 1.3 million baht to expedite the process. The complaint was filed after a total of 1.9 million baht was transferred with no results.
Mr Thanitpong admitted to the allegations and said that before the Covid-19 pandemic, he provided passport conversion services to foreigners who did not meet requirements for citizenship. He charged 2.5 million baht per person but was unable to continue his work once Thai authorities started to crack down harder on crimes funded by entities in China.
Upon learning that a warrant was also out for his father's arrest, the suspect requested to take on all charges himself, saying that his father was unaware of his scheme.
Bangkok Post file photo: Chanat Katanyu
