PHUKET: Region 8 Police, headquartered at the north end of Phuket, held a press conference yesterday (Sept 27) to highlight the arrests made in nearby provinces in the crackdown on scam operations carried out by phone and online.
The police campaign, called “Operation to break the horse’s legs”, has so far resulted in 51 arrests in Region 8 Police jurisdiction, explained Region 8 Police Commander Lt Gen Amphol Buarabporn.
Region 8 Police, although based in Phuket, oversees police operations in the seven Southern Thailand provinces of Ranong, Chumphon, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Krabi, Phang Nga and Phuket.
The campaign was ordered by Royal Thai Police headquarters in Bangkok, and extended nationwide, Lt Gen Amphol said.
The Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) was called in to assist in the operation, he added.
Highlighting several key cases, Lt Gen Amphol noted that Phra Phrom Police Station in Nakhon Si Thammarat had received a complaint on May 6 about people being deceived out of B1,419,479 in an investment scam. Twenty arrest warrants were issued, and so far four arrest warrants had been served, he said.
At Pak Chan Police Station in Ranong another complaint about an investment scam received on March 6 saw people deceived out of B625,028. In that case two arrest warrants were issued, with both suspects arrested.
In Chumphon, officers at Lang Suan Police Station received a complaint about a person being duped into believing that their phone had been used…
