Extortion racket busted

[rooster59]

Extortion racket busted

By KHANATHIT SRIHIRUNDAJ, 
SURIYA PATATHAYO 
THE NATION

 

 

Police and military officers ‘forced Thai company to pay bt2m protection money’.

POLICE have cracked down on an extortion gang allegedly led by senior military and police officers, who abused their positions of power and influence to take Chinese businessmen hostage and demand ransoms. 

 

Key members of the gang are high-ranking security officials, including Maj-General Charoon Ampa, who works at the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters, and Pol Lt-Colonel Nattakrit Yuttaya.

 

The gang was exposed after the Chinese owner of Kanta Group Thailand Co Ltd, known as Surachai sae Yang, lodged a complaint with authorities that the gang raided his firm on July 14 and forced him to pay Bt2-million protection money.

 

 

“The initial demand was Bt20 million but the amount came down following negotiations,” Pol Maj-General Surachet Hakpan, who heads the police force’s Patrol and Special Operation Division, said yesterday.

 

According to Surachet, Pol Lt-Colonel Nattakrit claimed to have been a member of the special patrol division, widely known locally as 191 Police, when raiding the firm on July 14 with eight other men. Nattakrit, who worked at the time for the Economic Crime Suppression Division, has now been suspended pending investigation. 

 

“The men did not produce a search warrant but I let them in because they said they were officials who needed to conduct a search for the sake of national security,” Songsak Wirojthavornkij, the manager of Kanta Group Thailand, said about the events of July 14. 

 

He added that once inside the firm, the powerfully built men removed hard disks linked to the company’s CCTV system. 

 

“They then forced me and Surachai to meet their boss,” Songsak said.

 

The meeting took place at a school in Bangkok’s Don Muang district. The alleged boss is Maj-General Charoon of the supreme command office.

 

 

During the meeting, Songsak and Surachai were accused of using fake ID cards. Koh Teck Chuan, the only foreign suspect in the gang, then told Surachai in Chinese that his boss wanted Bt20 million as protection money. Nattakrit assured him the gang would not bother them again if they agreed to pay, he said. 

 

Surachet said Surachai had negotiated the amount down to Bt2 million. The businessman duly paid Bt1 million on July 14 and another Bt1 million later. 

 

A total of 10 suspects have been identified so far. Half of them worked in the police and military. The rest are civilians, including a Singaporean translator. Eight of them were arrested on Thursday and two civilian suspects remain on the run. 

 

Of the arrested suspects, eight have already been released on bail. Only one civilian suspect, Opas Sriya, remains in custody because he could not come up with a Bt200,000 bond.

 

An informed source said the gang had apparently targeted Chinese businessmen. Since the arrest of the gang at least two other Chinese have come forward, also claiming to have been victims of the gang. 

 

One of them said she had paid the gang Bt4 million in 2015 in the belief the gang would help her husband out of legal problems he faced concerning accusations of document forgery. The other paid Bt750,000 to the gang last year to grant him Thai nationality, which did not happen. 

 

“Nattakrit’s position at the Economic Crime Suppression Division might have granted him access to the database of Chinese businessmen here. He might well have known who had not yet acquired all their necessary documents,” a source commented. National police commissioner Pol General Chakthip Chaijinda and Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan said they definitely would not protect officials who had violated laws. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30323568

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-08-12

[Somtamnication]

Never thought I would read about bad cops and bad greens.   There is hope after all. 

[worgeordie]

This wont be the only one, wonder if any more companies dare come forward,

regards worgeordie

[johng]

It was all just a "misunderstanding" soon to be forgotten.

[scorecard]

30 minutes ago, Somtamnication said:

Never thought I would read about bad cops and bad greens.   There is hope after all. 

 

More and more senior military and cops revealed to be criminals.

 

How come their senior don't know what activities they are involved in?

 

How come nobody notices their days are not consumed totally with military / police matters?

 

Bring on 44 to intervene. Quickly bring on total absolute reform. 

[z42]

Probably a misunderstanding or a plot to defame the RTP and RTA. You can rest assured those involved will be swiftly transferred to the ever swelling inactive post department and then when all is conveniently forgotten, given free lcence to crack on with the shakedowns

[NCC1701A]

wow... a lot of detail in this story...

 

no wonder so many ocean front properties are owned by police/military here in Hua Hin.

[Thian]

What happened to the policemen who kidnapped a Japanese businessman last year and claimed they found drugs on him and his wife?

 

That guy also went to another policestation to ask for help but the extorting policemen did a runner....

 

This is the main reason why i will never start any business in Thailand, things like this only happen in movies and Thailand.

[darksidedog]

Despite all the negatives about Prayut and the Junta, there are moments, such as this, when I am happy that they are currently running things. This was never going to happen under previous Governments, most of whom were as corrupt as this bunch. This country will be such a better place once corruption has been rooted out. I hope this gets a lot of other previously untouchables concerned for their future.

[Thian]

20 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

Despite all the negatives about Prayut and the Junta, there are moments, such as this, when I am happy that they are currently running things. This was never going to happen under previous Governments, most of whom were as corrupt as this bunch. This country will be such a better place once corruption has been rooted out. I hope this gets a lot of other previously untouchables concerned for their future.

But inactive posts are not going to change it.....

[sweatalot]

2 hours ago, scorecard said:

 

More and more senior military and cops revealed to be criminals.

 

How come their senior don't know what activities they are involved in?

 

How come nobody notices their days are not consumed totally with military / police matters?

 

Bring on 44 to intervene. Quickly bring on total absolute reform. 

"... 

More and more senior military and cops revealed to be criminals.

How come their senior don't know what activities they are involved in?"

 

Yes - and this never happened under any other government, in particular not under the shins - which makes me think why they are still a power to be reckoned with

[Bobobirdiebuddy]

Dollars to donuts this will just disappear into the morass of the judicial system.  Perhaps some inactive post transfers, a lackey or two given up for sacrifice but nothing more.  TIT

[klauskunkel]

5 hours ago, rooster59 said:

A total of 10 suspects have been identified so far. Half of them worked in the police and military. The rest are civilians, including a Singaporean translator.If I read 

Of the arrested suspects, eight have already been released on bail.

If I read this right, then 4-5 guys with guns are out on bail...

[Emster23]

".. extortion gang allegedly led by senior military and police officers,"

Nice to see they have worked out their differences and are now playing nicely together

[kaorop]

55 minutes ago, klauskunkel said:

If I read this right, then 4-5 guys with guns are out on bail...

 

 

funny how that works eg: "you stole 1 m bht bail is set at 200k" is it possibly just a way to get a cut of the action?

[mogandave]

 
 
funny how that works eg: "you stole 1 m bht bail is set at 200k" is it possibly just a way to get a cut of the action?

It said bond was 200K, not bail.

[zzaa09]

6 hours ago, johng said:

It was all just a "misunderstanding" soon to be forgotten.

The succession sustains itself.

The way of business here.

 

And yet, the rhetoric cycles continue within the systems as well as those who critique.

Nothing will change until the masses rise up and challenge - living their protests.

 

A decent cleansing of the scallywagery is in order, all the way to the top.

Yet, needs to be recognized before one can act.

 

Otherwise - all moot.

 

 

[Dene16]

They used to say now the military are involved the police cannot do anything

It looks to me that it was just a learning curve and now the military are starting to get in on the act

[coulson]

But inactive posts are not going to change it.....

It will when they are 95% inactive and someone wakes up to the fact they are by and large not actually required

[Muhendis]

7 hours ago, darksidedog said:

This country will be such a better place once corruption has been rooted out.

So what you seem to be saying is that this country will never be a better place.

[madusa]

I just cannot help laughing when I read about getting rid of corruption. I cannot go into details because I will be ban by the moderator.

A tourist in South America once asked a local man, "Is there a lot of corruption in this country?" The man replied, "What do you mean corruption, it is an institution in this country".

[chama]

Just trusted officials doing what trusted officials do.......

[tryasimight]

6 hours ago, zzaa09 said:

The succession sustains itself.

The way of business here.

 

And yet, the rhetoric cycles continue within the systems as well as those who critique.

Nothing will change until the masses rise up and challenge - living their protests.

 

A decent cleansing of the scallywagery is in order, all the way to the top.

Yet, needs to be recognized before one can act.

 

Otherwise - all moot.

 

 

Yeah right...that worked well in Cambodia didn't it?

Funny thing is it will be the farangs who go to the killing fields first.

Careful what you wish for.

[Dave67]

A crime worthy of a transfer

[wakeupplease]

13 hours ago, Thian said:

But inactive posts are not going to change it.....

The only thing that will change it is do away with the computer crimes act make it a civil offense where he who try's it on has to pay the court costs and let the police get on with other jobs like Motoring Offenses. Its been estimated the CCa has over 50.000 cases going on now and not one penny comes from the so called person who has been wronged the police pay it all mind you they even use the s>>> law to as we see in another thread.

 

Until it is removed would you as a investor invest in this country. Not A Chance as this is what happens to Farangs.

[Nord X]

9 hours ago, mogandave said:

 

It said bond was 200K, not bail.

It's obviously just poor translation between languages as the justice sets a bail amount, a bond is something completely different though often confused. A bond is any method or transaction by the charged person for them to raise enough bail money in the event that they lack the funds to pay by themselves.
 

[Watchful]

16 hours ago, darksidedog said:

Despite all the negatives about Prayut and the Junta, there are moments, such as this, when I am happy that they are currently running things. This was never going to happen under previous Governments, most of whom were as corrupt as this bunch. This country will be such a better place once corruption has been rooted out. I hope this gets a lot of other previously untouchables concerned for their future.

Excellent point. Legitimate business will avoid areas of high corruption. It simply becomes too expensive and wastes too much valuable time ... time that should be spent improving their competitive situation.

 

You are also quite correct that others on the take must now fear their victims coming forward. While the perpetrators can usually fend off a single complaint when several victims come forward all at once, it quickly becomes overwhelming.

 

Several posters here have mentioned that being transitioned to inactive posts is no punishment. We must remember that everyone is entitled to defend themselves and while doing so police and military people are usually assigned to "inactive positions" until their cases are adjudicated.  

 

Further, in a society where "face" is paramount, the accused have already lost everything. There is no chance to recover no matter what. They will forever be scorned by their families and junior officiers. Indeed, their only remaining "friends" will be other corrupt officials who must avoid them like the plague for fear of being implicated.

[quandow]

They got me for 60 gajillion baht.  Where do I go to get back my money?

[SoulWater]

Another suicide during interview I guess