BANGKOK: Thai immigration police have detained two Chinese nationals wanted by authorities in China over an alleged cryptocurrency investment Ponzi scheme involving losses of more than THB3.2 billion.
The suspects, aged 52 and 28, were located at a luxury condominium in Bangkok’s Rama IX area after investigators traced their movements and accommodation records.
Police Lieutenant General Nopasin Poolsawat, Commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, disclosed that the Chinese Embassy in Thailand had formally contacted the bureau with information about the two suspects, who were subject to arrest warrants issued by Chinese authorities.
The pair were wanted in connection with an alleged Ponzi scheme involving fraudulent cryptocurrency investments and had fled to Thailand, according to the information provided by Chinese officials.
Following the embassy’s notification, Thai immigration investigators examined the suspects’ travel histories and accommodation records to establish their whereabouts.
The investigation led officers to a luxury condominium in the Rama IX area, where the two were believed to be staying. Surveillance teams were subsequently deployed to monitor the premises and track their movements.
Officers approached the suspects after spotting them outside the condominium and requested their passports for identification.
Checks confirmed that both individuals matched the information provided by Chinese authorities concerning the outstanding arrest warrants.
Immigration officials subsequently informed the two suspects that their permission to remain in Thailand had been revoked. Both were taken into custody for further legal proceedings.
Investigators also established that the pair had entered Thailand through immigration control at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Nopasin emphasised that the Immigration Bureau would continue working closely with security agencies in Thailand and overseas to locate and apprehend foreign nationals wanted under outstanding arrest warrants.
He reaffirmed the bureau’s position that Thailand must not become a refuge for fugitives or transnational criminals.
The authorities would continue taking firm legal action against foreign nationals whose activities threatened national security or public order, he added. - The Nation/ANN
