Bangkok: Cyber police have successfully arrested a suspect involved in a scam where an 81-year-old woman was tricked into transferring 4.4 million baht. This was achieved through a collaborative effort between the Technology Crime Suppression Division, the AOC 1441 Center, and the Bank of Thailand, leading to the launch of the operation titled ‘MONEY CASH BACK, Close Accounts, Hunt Down Horses, Get Money Back’.

According to Thai News Agency, Pol. Col. Torsak Panklinput of the Technology Crime Suppression Division 2 revealed that the victim had been deceived by a call center gang. The gang impersonated an AMLO officer and claimed that the victim’s account was a mule account as a student had previously transferred 45,000 baht into it before committing suicide. The victim was manipulated into believing she needed to clear her name by transferring money for inspection. Over a period of four days, the caller maintained constant contact with the victim, instructing her to transfer money to four different accounts.

Following a report at the 1441 center in December 2014, police investigations led to the issuance of five arrest warrants. Four suspects have been detained, while one remains at large. Authorities have frozen the bank account of one suspect, containing 2 million baht that matched the victim’s transaction details. Efforts have been made to facilitate the return of the assets to the victim.

Interrogations revealed that the suspect, who opened the bank account used in the scam, was paid 3,000 baht for his involvement. He expressed willingness to return the stolen funds to the victim.