Bank alert foils scam, four arrested in Chiang Mai

2026-02-28 - 05:13

CHIANG MAI — 27 February 2026, Police arrested four people and seized 300,000 baht in cash on Thursday after a bank alerted officers to a suspected mule account linked to a call-centre scam, authorities said. At about 15:55, officers from Police Region 5 were notified by the financial crime team at Krungthai Bank to check a customer attempting to withdraw 300,000 baht at its Pratu Chiang Mai branch in Chiang Mai province. Officers arrived and found a woman, identified as 33-year-old Chuda Mangma from Khon Kaen, withdrawing the cash at the counter. Police seized the 300,000 baht, a bank book, an ATM card and a mobile phone. She admitted she had been instructed to open the account and withdraw the money and said the funds were not hers, investigators said. Further inquiries led to the detention of three alleged accomplices who were monitoring and directing the withdrawal nearby: a 27-year-old Myanmar national identified as Arr Wai, described as the coordinator; a 37-year-old Myanmar national identified as Phipop, also known as Sang, who holds a pink card for stateless persons; and a 25-year-old man identified as Jongfu, also known as Afu, a person without civil registration status. Police said one of the suspects was additionally charged under the Immigration Act 1979. Financial records showed that prior to the withdrawal, a victim had transferred 300,000 baht into the account. The transfer is linked to an online fraud complaint filed in Saraburi province, with total reported losses of 2.4 million baht. The arrests were made at about 16:20 at the Krungthai Bank branch on Chang Lor Road in tambon Phra Singh, Mueang Chiang Mai district. All four suspects were handed over to investigators at Mueang Chiang Mai police station for legal proceedings. Police said the group told investigators they were acting on orders from a Chinese boss, with Thai nationals arranging hotel bookings, car rentals and expenses, and recruiting individuals to open accounts and withdraw cash. Authorities said they had evidence to pursue at least two additional suspects and would expand the investigation.