Pathipan : “Thai call centre gangsters arrested in Cambodia”

Police in Thailand have successfully apprehended twelve suspects believed to be part of a call centre scam gang, with the group’s leader also taken into custody in Cambodia. The arrests, which were carried out by the Royal Thai Police’s Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) in collaboration with Cambodian authorities, mark a significant breakthrough in the fight against telephone fraud in the region.

According to Pol Lt Gen Worawat Watnakornbancha, the CCIB commissioner, the gang members, aged between 21 and 35, were captured at their hideout in O Smach City, located in Oddar Meanchey province near the Thai border. Among those arrested was the alleged mastermind, known as Pathipan or A-Ching, aged 21.

The operation, codenamed “Hang Up,” was initiated following a report from a victim who had fallen prey to the gang’s fraudulent activities. The victim had suffered a substantial financial loss amounting to 2.37 million baht after being coerced into making multiple monetary transfers to the scammers.

It was revealed that the gang had been raking in an estimated 1 billion baht annually through their illicit schemes, targeting predominantly elderly individuals looking to secure their retirement savings.

Describing the modus operandi of the scam, Pol Lt Gen Worawat explained that the gang had assigned different roles to its members, including impersonating bank officials, law enforcement officers, and financial advisors. The scammers would initiate contact with victims under the guise of investigating money laundering activities or unpaid debts, subsequently pressuring them into transferring funds for bogus investigations.

In a disturbing revelation, it was disclosed that the gang leader resorted to physical violence, including administering electric shocks, as a form of punishment for team members who failed to meet the weekly target of 20 million baht.

The swift action taken by authorities has not only led to the arrest of the perpetrators but has also resulted in the rescue of individuals who were coerced into participating in the scam operation against their will. The suspects have admitted to their involvement in the criminal activities and have implicated Mr Pathipan as the key orchestrator behind the elaborate scam.