According to Thai media, the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Thailand, in a joint investigation, arrested six criminal suspects, four of whom were already serving sentences for other cases.
Among the suspects, the first defendant is a 43-year-old Chinese man named Li, and the second defendant is a 30-year-old Burmese woman, Ms. Aye. Both are charged with jointly committing fraud, forging documents and identity cards, and bribing government officials, among other crimes. Defendants three to six, all Thai nationals, are charged with corruption, misconduct, or seeking personal gain through dereliction of duty.
Meanwhile, the police also seized 190 items, including 14 bank passbooks, 8,500 yuan in cash, 5 ATM cards, 14 mobile phones, one tablet, nine computers, two blank cards, 14 passports/ID cards/related documents, two cars, five items resembling gold, and 125 other documents and files.
The case originated at the end of 2023 when a Chinese man reported to the Central Investigation Bureau that he was extorted by Thai police for 5 million baht in exchange for not being prosecuted. Previously, in November 2022, the Chinese man discovered a service claiming to legally handle Thai identity cards, house registrations, and other documents for Chinese nationals, costing about 1 million baht.
Believing it to be true, he contacted the service and eventually went to a northeastern office to collect the ID card and house registration copies with the help of Li and his girlfriend Aye, paying 1.1 million baht in cash.
Later, the man contacted Li again to help with a passport. Upon arriving at the agreed location, he was taken to a coffee shop by a group of strangers, and then three policemen appeared, informing him of the illegal documentation. To avoid prosecution, he was asked to pay 5 million baht. After negotiations, they agreed on 2 million baht, equivalent to 55,555 USDT, which was transferred immediately, and the man then reported the incident to the authorities.
Upon investigation, the police found government officials involved and discovered that Li had a red notice for crimes committed in China involving up to 3 billion yuan, after which he fled to Thailand. In Thailand, Li lived with a "white card," allowing him temporary residence and equal rights as Thais, and continued his fraudulent activities.
Regarding the police who extorted the Chinese man, it was found that all four were arrested for a similar case in 2023 involving the extortion of 10 million baht from another Chinese national. Subsequently, the Central Investigation Bureau gathered further evidence and applied for arrest warrants for the six individuals, who currently deny all charges.
