Police seek court approval for detention of 93 Thais from Poi Pet

Thai police seek court approval for the detention of 93 repatriated Thais linked to Chinese call-centre scams in Poi Pet. Authorities estimate 1,000 more Thais are involved, as police continue their crackdown on online fraud networks.

Police on Wednesday requested the Criminal Court to approve the temporary detention of 93 Thais repatriated from Poi Pet, Cambodia, pending further investigations into their alleged voluntary involvement with Chinese call-centre gangs.

Pol Gen Thatchai Pitanilabutr, Police Inspector-General and Director of the Technology Crime Suppression Centre, stated that these 93 individuals were among 119 Thais arrested by Cambodian police at the request of Thai authorities. They were repatriated following a crackdown on call-centre gangs in Poi Pet on 1 March.

Screening Identifies 100 Suspects Involved in Scams
Upon arrival in Thailand, the 119 repatriated individuals were screened through the national referral mechanism.

Authorities determined that at least 100 of them had voluntarily worked for Chinese-run call-centre scams, deceiving fellow Thais through various fraudulent schemes. Arrest warrants were issued for these 100 suspects.

Of these, 93 individuals had already been detained without a warrant for 24 hours, requiring police to seek court approval for their extended detention to continue investigations.

Call-Centre Scams and High Financial Returns

According to Thatchai, the 100 identified suspects engaged in fraudulent activities that included:


Romance scams, manipulating victims into transferring money.
Online gambling scams, luring victims to bet on fake platforms.
Impersonation scams, posing as government officials, such as electricity and land officers, to extort money.


Thatchai emphasised that none of the 100 suspects were forced or tortured into working for these gangs. Instead, they willingly participated in the scams, lured by the prospect of high financial rewards.

Further Investigations and Crackdown on Scam Networks
Police are still gathering evidence against 15 other repatriated Thais, who have not yet been formally charged.

Additionally, four repatriated individuals were minors under 19 years old, and further legal action against them will depend on stronger evidence.

Thatchai also revealed that around 1,000 more Thais are believed to be working voluntarily for online scam operations in Poi Pet. Thai police are collaborating with Cambodian authorities to identify, arrest, and extradite these individuals for prosecution in Thailand.



Arrest Warrants Issued for Chinese Kingpins

Interrogations of the 100 detained suspects have provided police with facial sketches of two Chinese ringleaders, leading to arrest warrants being issued against them.

Authorities are also gathering evidence to request a third arrest warrant for another Chinese mastermind.

Thai police will soon seek assistance from the Chinese government to locate and apprehend these three unidentified Chinese leaders behind the call-centre scam operations in Poi Pet.

(2025/03/05-00:00)