Chiang Mai fraud suspect arrested for bamboo blind scam

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Photo courtesy of KhaoSod

 

By Puntid Tantivangphaisal

 

A significant fraud case involving over 50 victims duped into paying for bamboo blinds they never received has culminated in the arrest of the alleged perpetrator.

 

Since 2018, numerous complaints have been filed, with victims coming forward to report being scammed by a Facebook page with a misleading name. The accused, who had been evading the police, was finally apprehended in Chiang Mai.

 

The culmination of the case unravelled yesterday, December 18, when police from the Region 5 Investigation Division, under the supervision of Worapong Khamlue, coordinated with central police to arrest the suspect. The suspect had been hiding out in Chiang Mai, after allegedly committing multiple frauds in Chon Buri.

 

“We received intelligence that led us to believe the suspect was in the area, and we worked with local police to confirm his location.”

 

The suspect was tracked to a village in the San Kamphaeng district, where he had lived two years ago with an ex-girlfriend. Although the two had since separated, investigators had been monitoring his mobile phone activity in the area. With this information, they secured a search warrant and proceeded to the location, only to find he had moved to another district, Saraphi.

 

Local administrative officers and the residential management of Bua Khae Village provided crucial information that aided the investigative team in their pursuit.

 

 

Subsequently, police followed the lead to Saraphi, where they finally located and arrested 32 year old Thanakornwit, in compliance with a Chiang Mai Provincial Court warrant. He faces charges of fraud and deceitfully introducing falsified information into a computer system, causing potential harm to individuals.

 

During interrogation, Thanakornwit confessed to the crimes. He explained that he originally operated a legitimate business selling bamboo blinds, advertising heavily on Facebook.

 

This online promotion attracted a large customer base, resulting in an overwhelming number of orders. However, due to production delays at the factory, he was unable to fulfil these orders. Compounding his problems, he misused the funds for personal financial issues, leaving him unable to procure the products for his customers.

 

“I started with a legitimate business but things spiralled out of control when I couldn’t keep up with the demand.”

 

His actions resulted in numerous complaints being filed across various regions, particularly in Chiang Mai and several other provinces. Police have now taken Thanakornwit into custody at Chang Phueak Police Station, where he will face prosecution. They are also coordinating with other investigators handling related cases to ensure comprehensive legal action is taken against him, reported KhaoSod.

 

Source: The Thaiger

-- 2024-12-19