A Thai transvestite wanted by Japanese police for more than 40 fraud-related offences was re-arrested in Sukhumvit area on Tuesday night, a Crime Suppression Department officer said.
Pol Lt Col Torsak Sookwimol, acting commander of the CSD’s Special Forces Unit, said police apprehended Uthai Nantakhan, 40, at an apartment in Sukhumvit Soi 93 after they received a tip-off that the Udon Thani native, who was wanted on arrest warrants for numerous charges of fraud, was hiding in the building.
Uthai Nantakhan (Photo by Wassayos Ngamkham)
Mr Uthai was first arrested on July 18, 2012 in the same soi, but the details of his escape leading up to Tuesday’s arrest remain sketchy.
Mr Uthai was accused of deceiving Japanese tourists and businessmen into withdrawing money worth altogether over 10 million baht from their bank accounts and giving it to him.
According to police, Mr Uthai approached the Japanese tourists pretending to be a lost and penniless foreign traveller and borrowed money from them, promising to return the money later via an overseas transfer but not following through.
The scam went on for at least three years, between 2010 and 2012.
He then told police he targeted Japanese men because he was still angry at a Japanese man who had once taken him on holiday to Phi Phi Island and left him there.