Thais flummoxed - what was Cambodian man doing with 126 ATM cards and 3 million baht in a bag at a border ATM

[webfact]

Thais flummoxed - what was Cambodian man doing with 126 ATM cards and 3 million baht in a bag at a border ATM

 

Picture: Thai Rath

 

ARANYAPRATHET: -- It was the ultimate in drawing attention to yourself. A Cambodian man was annoying the queue at a Kasikorn ATM near the border at Rong Kleua market in Aranyaprathet.

 

He had been withdrawing and transferring money for a very long time using dozens of ATM cards. So long in fact that people in the queue got suspicious and called the Klong Leuk cops.

 

The cops arrived and found Kaew Heng, aged about 30, with 126 ATM cards only six of which were in his name. They belonged to accounts for Kasikorn, SCB and Bangkok Bank.

 

The police found 3,339,000 baht in Thai cash in the man's bag. In addition they found six Kasikorn bankbooks and three from SCB showing transactions amounting to a million baht a day.

 

Not surprisingly their suspicions were aroused and Heng was taken in for questioning.

 

He told police it was all legitimate - he was pressing the ATM for Cambodian workers in Thailand. He claimed that he was a currency trader in Poi Pet on the Cambodian side. His passport was all in order.

 

Police contacted colleagues in Bang Plee east of Bangkok because they believed that Heng was related to a criminal arrested there in January for theft and fencing stolen goods.

 

But due to the fact that no solid evidence could be obtained in time from the Bang Plee police they were obliged to release the suspect, reported Thai Rath.

 

However, he wasn't getting off that lightly - the cops confiscated all the money, the bank books and most of the ATM cards.

 

Next stop was the three banks to have the cards cancelled.

 

Investigations continue.

 

Source: Thai Rath

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-06-21

[berybert]

No evidence, so whats all that stuff on the table in front of  them ?

[Moonmoon]

confiscate the money.. just couldn't let it go for nothing huh...

[Chou Anou]

What was he doing?  Following the orders of his Thai mafia boss, no doubt.

[Bluespunk]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

 

However, he wasn't getting off that lightly - the cops confiscated all the money, the bank books and most of the ATM cards.

Even though there was no evidence of a crime?

 

Does he get it back if his story proves correct?

 

[Reigntax]

1 hour ago, berybert said:

No evidence, so whats all that stuff on the table in front of  them ?

 

But they confiscated it anyway! Divy up for the boys

[Get Real]

1 hour ago, Bluespunk said:

Even though there was no evidence of a crime?

 

Does he get it back if his story proves correct?

 

Sure, with interest!

[dotpoom]

2 hours ago, berybert said:

No evidence, so whats all that stuff on the table in front of  them ?

No evidence of wrongdoing.

[animalmagic]

Money laundering, using many accounts to keep transactions small enough not to be picked up by bank computerised internal protocols

[NextStationBangkok]

Sounds like gambling funds.  Or it could be Cambodian labor's funds as well, might be paid from Thailand but simple channels like this. Many Thais have business in Cambodia without registered, but paid in Baht, and commodities coming to Thailand.

[williamgeorgeallen]

good score for the cops.

[halloween]

3 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

Even though there was no evidence of a crime?

 

Does he get it back if his story proves correct?

 

Yes. Any assets suspected of being proceeds of crime can be seized, not only here but many other countries. Plenty of grounds here for reasonable suspicion.

Yes, proof of legal source of assets and taxation paid will have the assets released. You ain't got it, you don't get it.

BTW assets will not usually be released to pay for a lawyer.

[little mary sunshine]

Nothing legal, for sure!!

[Bluespunk]

1 minute ago, halloween said:

Yes. Any assets suspected of being proceeds of crime can be seized, not only here but many other countries. Plenty of grounds here for reasonable suspicion.

Yes, proof of legal source of assets and taxation paid will have the assets released. You ain't got it, you don't get it.

BTW assets will not usually be released to pay for a lawyer.

I know assets can be seized if there is a crime. 

 

Thats is why I was asking if he gets them back if innocent. 

 

In many other countries that would be the case...

[halloween]

Just now, Bluespunk said:

I know assets can be seized if there is a crime. 

 

Thats is why I was asking if he gets them back if innocent. 

 

In many other countries that would be the case...

You have it wrong. There doesn't HAVE to be a crime, there only has to be SUSPICION of a crime. Even if he is not prosecuted, or is and found innocent, he won't get the assets back without proving legitimacy.

[Bluespunk]

4 minutes ago, halloween said:

You have it wrong. There doesn't HAVE to be a crime, there only has to be SUSPICION of a crime. Even if he is not prosecuted, or is and found innocent, he won't get the assets back without proving legitimacy.

I don't have it wrong, as I didn't comment on suspicion. However I do see that. 

 

If he is found innocent, then how is having the money and the cards not legitimate? 

Edited June 21, 2017 by Bluespunk

[smew]

Noticed: some things never change. Thai police kept the money. All his documents etc etc in order so why not let him go with all his belongings. I had few millions in my backpack I was buying and paying cash for rice land up in udon Thani 

[halloween]

1 minute ago, Bluespunk said:

I don't have it wrong, I didn't comment on suspicion. 

 

If he is found innocent then how is having the money and the cards not legitimate? 

It is not legitimate until proven to be so.

I know of a man in Oz accused of growing/selling ganga. He owned his house on a few acres and 6 hi-performance cars after having been on the dole most of his working life. They couldn't prove he was growing, but he lost the lot because he couldn't prove where the money to pay for it came from.

Actually he claimed it came from his mother who owned a business, which was investigated. Mum went to jail and he didn't.

[DekDaeng]

11 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

"In many other countries that would be the case..."

5555

 

5555

 

5555

[Bluespunk]

1 minute ago, halloween said:

It is not legitimate until proven to be so.

I know of a man in Oz accused of growing/selling ganga. He owned his house on a few acres and 6 hi-performance cars after having been on the dole most of his working life. They couldn't prove he was growing, but he lost the lot because he couldn't prove where the money to pay for it came from.

Actually he claimed it came from his mother who owned a business, which was investigated. Mum went to jail and he didn't.

This guy's story is easy to check. 

 

Find the workers he claims he is acting for and prove how it was earned. 

 

Therefore, if innocent he should get the cards and money back to return to them. 

 

Guess they could give it to them directly as well, wonder if the bib will...

[DekDaeng]

5 hours ago, berybert said:

No evidence, so whats all that stuff on the table in front of  them ?

He might well be honest - many workers look for the cheapest way to get cash back to their families. They should look at his records - many different names, payments of the order of 5 - 15,000 baht, would indicate worker remittances. A few names, much higher amounts, might indicate otherwise.

 

If it is worker remittances,  get the money back to him ASAP - the trouble that delayed (or lost) payments can cause - e.g. failure to pay the local loan shark - cannot be imagined.

[hobobo]

what was Cambodian man doing with 126 ATM cards and 3 million baht in a bag at a border ATM ?

 

He was just a collector. Some people collect stamps, some sports cards, he was collecting ATM cards. The cash was for buying and selling the cards, so he was a trader as well as collector.

[halloween]

Just now, Bluespunk said:

This guy's story is easy to check. 

 

Find the workers he claims he is acting for and prove how it was earned. 

 

Therefore, if innocent he should get the cards and money back to return to them. 

 

Guess they could give it to them directly as well, wonder if the bib will...

For Pete's sake - for the last bloody time, his innocence has NOTHING to do with the legitimacy of the assets seized. Neither you or I know if that legitimacy is easy to prove, but if he is churning a million baht a day from 9 bank accounts, the odds are the money is dirty one way or another

[wvavin]

So the it all boils down to the money and no so much on the investigation. 

[Bluespunk]

1 minute ago, halloween said:

For Pete's sake - for the last bloody time, his innocence has NOTHING to do with the legitimacy of the assets seized. Neither you or I know if that legitimacy is easy to prove, but if he is churning a million baht a day from 9 bank accounts, the odds are the money is dirty one way or anothernot 

If the money is indeed the workers wages, as he claims, and he is collecting it for them, as he claims, then the money and cards are legitimate. 

 

Therefore he is not only innocent, but (as in many other countries) should have these legitimate items (money and cards) returned to him. 

[madmitch]

The guy has been released without charge yet still his photograph appears all over the Thai press. 

 

I though this practice was supposed to have stopped.

 

At least he wasn't made to point.

[halloween]

6 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

If the money is indeed the workers wages, as he claims, and he is collecting it for them, as he claims, then the money and cards are legitimate. 

 

Therefore he is not only innocent, but (as in many other countries) should have these legitimate items (money and cards) returned to him. 

Did anybody ever dispute that? What I said, and you seem unable to comprehend, is that the legitimacy of the funds will have to be proven, whether or not he is found guilty of any crime.

[Bluespunk]

Just now, halloween said:

Did anybody ever dispute that? What I said, and you seem unable to comprehend, is that the legitimacy of the funds will have to be proven, whether or not he is found guilty of any crime.

That's not what you said in your exchanges with me.

 

That is what I have asked when I said ''will he get the money back if his story proves correct?''.

 

It was a simple enough question, which you do not seem to have comprehended.

[halloween]

2 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

That's not what you said in your exchanges with me.

 

That is what I have asked when I said ''will he get the money back if his story proves correct?''.

 

It was a simple enough question, which you do not seem to have comprehended.

Do you remember asking " I know assets can be seized if there is a crime.  "

I have been trying to point out to you that THERE DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A CRIME. If he is telling the truth, he will still have to prove the legitimacy of the source of the assets, including taxation paid where applicable.

[Bluespunk]

Just now, halloween said:

Do you remember asking " I know assets can be seized if there is a crime.  "

I have been trying to point out to you that THERE DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A CRIME. If he is telling the truth, he will still have to prove the legitimacy of the source of the assets, including taxation paid where applicable.

Do you remember my question, that if the money is proved to be legitimate, will it be returned?