BANGKOK: Immigration police raided a luxury villa in central Pattaya and arrested 25 Indian nationals accused of operating an illegal online gambling base with an estimated annual turnover of more than Bt700 million.
The operation was carried out on Tuesday (March 24) by investigators from Division 3 of the Immigration Bureau after authorities received a tip-off that the property in Nong Prue, Bang Lamung district, Chon Buri, was being used as a base for a large-scale online gambling business.
Officers said the villa was heavily secured. The garage had been converted into a sealed glass office, with tarpaulins used to block visibility from outside and conceal activity inside the property.
During the search, police found 25 Indian nationals working inside the house. Authorities said the group had been assigned clear roles, including marketing, accounting and customer service administration, giving the operation the appearance of a fully organised company.
Investigators also found that workers were being kept inside the villa, with a generator and frozen food supplies prepared to reduce the need to leave the premises and avoid attracting attention.
Police ordered the operation to stop immediately before detaining all 25 suspects and examining the evidence. Data found on computers allegedly linked the group to three major online gambling websites. Authorities said the network handled an average of more than 5.6 million rupees a day, equivalent to about Bt700 million a year.
More than 80 items were seized as evidence, including computers, laptops and mobile phones.
Passport checks found that all of the suspects had entered Thailand on tourist visas but had allegedly been working illegally in the country. They were charged with working as foreign nationals without permits or working beyond the scope of their permitted rights.
All suspects were handed over to investigators at Nong Prue police station for legal proceedings.
Authorities said the investigation would now be expanded to trace the Thai and foreign financiers believed to be behind the cross-border gambling network. - The Nation/ANN
