Four Chinese men have been arrested for their alleged involvement in a call centre scam network during police raids on eight locations in Bangkok on Friday.
Pol Maj Gen Theeradej Thamsuthee, chief of investigation at the Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB), led a team of officers to raid the eight premises in the Bang Na, Makkasan, Lumpini, Huai Khwang, Hua Mak and Din Daeng areas.
During the operations, four Chinese men aged between 29 and 32 were arrested, said Pol Lt Gen Siam Boonsom, the MPB commissioner. Only their surnames were given.
The suspects were arrested at a condominium in the Bang Na Tai area of Bang Na district. Seized from the room were three laptop computers and a flash drive.
Police charged three of the men with staying illegally in the country and illegal assembly, while the fourth was charged with failing to notify immigration officials about the location of a residence or a hotel within 24 hours of arrival.
An investigator photographs one of the four Chinese men accused of involvement in a call centre scam at a condominium in Bang Na district of Bangkok on Friday. (Photo supplied/Wassayos Ngamkham)
Earlier this week, MPB investigators arrested a 19-year-old Chinese man for his alleged involvement in a call centre scam. Officers seized eight new-model SIM boxes and other items in a condominium room rented by the suspect, identified later as Tan Minghong, in the Hua Mak area of Bangkok.
Further investigation led to the arrest of the four Chinese men on Friday, said Pol Lt Gen Siam.
During questioning, the first to third suspects denied all charges. They claimed they had entered Thailand as tourists. However, they could not produce a single photo of themselves at a tourist site, police said.
According to police, the suspects earned money from operating a gambling website. In China, they had no listed occupations.
The men also failed to show their passports to police when asked. They claimed their passports were kept by a tour agency. However, the fourth suspect confessed to the charges.
Pol Maj Gen Theeradej said the investigators had targeted the eight locations as all were linked to alleged Chinese scammers operating in Thailand.
