Thai man arrested with half a million dollars in cash at border

Arrest comes amid reports that call centre gangs are shifting their operations from Myanmar to Cambodia

Thai authorities arrested a Thai man attempting to smuggle 15.7 million baht (around US$470,000) in cash into Thailand through the Aranyaprathet border checkpoint on Sunday amid an ongoing crackdown on call-centre gangs.  

The arrest followed a security clampdown by police, military, and customs officials at the Thai-Cambodian border checkpoint in Sa Kaew province in response to reports that call-centre scam gangs are shifting operations from Myanmar to Cambodia.

The Thai man, who is believed to be of Indian descent, was stopped while crossing from the Cambodian border town of Poipet into Thailand, carrying a large blue backpack. Officers searched his bag and found it was stuffed with 15.7 million baht in cash.

The 47-year-old man, identified only as Mr Om, a Bangkok resident, claimed the money was his winnings from a Poipet casino. However, officials suspected the cash came from a call centre gang and charged him with currency smuggling for failing to declare the huge sum.



 

 He was detained and handed over to Sa Kaew immigration police, who have launched an investigation to trace the source of the money.

China and Thailand have launched a joint crackdown on call centre fraud in border areas of Myanmar after revelations that thousands of victims from multiple countries have been trafficked and forced to work in the scam compounds. An operation to rescue and repatriate the victims through Thailand is ongoing.

(2025/02/24-00:00)