The wife of a prison warden was among three people arrested in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district for allegedly duping people into handing over 15 million baht in cars that then were resold.
The trio -- Chonticha Marndapitak, 32, Wanwimol Ousuwan, 23, and Thanongsak Sriyangkhui, 51 -- were apprehended at the SNP Mansion car park on Thetsaban Songkhro Road in the Lat Yao area of Chatuchak on Monday night and taken for a police news conference at the Patrol and Special Operation Division on Tuesday, Thai media reported.
The suspects have been charged with fraud for placing down payments on used cars and then stealing them.
The arrest was made after Songkran Atchariyasap, a lawyer and leader of a Facebook group, led 15 victims to the Crime Suppression Division to file a fraud complaint against Ms Chonthicha and her alleged cohorts.
The complainants said they had advertised their vehicles online and were contacted by gang members, who made sales contracts for the vehicles and made down payments of 30,000-50,000 baht. But the accused grifters then convinced the car owners to give them the vehicles pending finalisation of the vehicle-transfer agreement.
Once they had the cars, the suspects fled, police said.
Ms Chonthicha confessed she had been responsible for entering into sales contracts with owners and had received 4,000-5,000 baht per car from the gang leader, who would resell the cars. But she declined to name the gang leader.
The gang, allegedly headed by a commissioned police officer, sold the vehicles to an agent in a neighbouring country for 80,000-100,000 baht each, said Mr Songkran.
Pol Maj Gen Panurat Lakbun, chief of the special-operation division, said Ms Chonthicha had used several names to cheat people in nine fraud cases. The court so far has approved warrants for her arrest in two of those cases.
Mr Songkran said Ms Chonthicha, wife of a prison warden, and her gang has so far preyed on 33 victims with damages totalling 15 million baht.
Victim Jeeraphan Rommayanont said Ms Chonthicha made a contact with him and he was duped into handing over his car after receiving the down payment. She had set a date to complete the vehicle transfer, but never showed up and he was unable to reach her.
Mr Jeeraphan said he was forced to continue paying monthly instalments to a finance firm for his car even after it had been stolen.
