BANGKOK, THAILAND – Police in Bangkok apprehended a 19-year-old who was found with a substantial amount of cash and several suspicious ATM cards.
Verdächtige Abhebe-Serie in Ramkhamhaeng
On Monday afternoon, officers patrolling Soi Ramkhamhaeng 51/3 observed a young man at an ATM displaying unusual activity. The 19-year-old was repeatedly withdrawing cash from a Krungsri Ayutthaya Bank machine, drawing the attention of the Huamark Police patrol.
His behavior was so conspicuous that the officers decided to approach him for questioning. He was found near a red and black Honda Scoopy-i motorcycle.
107.000 Baht in der Tasche, 500.000 unterm Sitz
During an initial search, officers discovered 107,000 Baht in the suspect’s pockets, along with four ATM cards and an iPhone 13. The cards were registered under four different Thai names.
Upon further inspection, police opened the motorcycle’s seat and uncovered a hidden compartment containing an additional 500,000 Baht in cash. The total amount found reached 607,000 Baht.
Der 19-Jährige aus Chiang Rai: „Ich bin nur Kurier“
The teenager was identified as Patchara, aged 19, from the Mae Fah Luang district in Chiang Rai. He claims he was merely a courier for an unknown Chinese individual who provided him with the four ATM cards.
According to his statement, he had been withdrawing cash since April and handing it over to the man, receiving 1,000 Baht per withdrawal as payment.
Polizei wittert Callcenter-Betrug – Karteninhaber im Fokus
Investigators suspect these transactions are linked to a call center scam. Warrants have not yet been issued for the four account holders, possibly because no victims have yet filed a complaint.
Authorities plan to contact all four cardholders to clarify how their cards ended up in the possession of the 19-year-old and their potential involvement.
Jagd nach dem unbekannten Chinesen – Opfer sollen sich melden
Simultaneously, police are searching for the Chinese national believed to have orchestrated the ATM withdrawal operation. His interrogation could reveal other members of the criminal network.
Police are urging any potential victims who may have transferred money to accounts under the names associated with the cards to report to the Huamark Police Station.
Alle Beweise sicher – noch keine Anklage
The seized cash, ATM cards, iPhone, and the Honda motorcycle remain in police custody. No charges have been filed against the young man from Chiang Rai at this time.
The police intend to question the four cardholders to determine if they were complicit in the fraud or if their cards were misused.