In a striking cyber raid, the Thai authorities arrested a 29 year old man in Nonthaburi for his involvement in an online gambling ring and for laundering over 5 million baht through multiple transactions.
The arrest was part of a larger crackdown on illegal online gambling activities facilitated by the website wtf55, which offered games such as Baccarat and Dragon Tiger.
Cyber police, acting on a warrant issued on July 19 last year, apprehended Noppol (surname withheld) in Nonthaburi province on charges of organising online gambling and money laundering. The arrest followed an intricate investigation by the Special Analysis and Tools Division of the Cyber Police, revealing that the gambling website had been conducting transactions rapidly via Internet banking, allowing users to gamble with ease.
The covert operation by the police involved engaging with the gambling platform to trace the financial transactions linked to the suspects.
Through this scrutiny, authorities discovered that multiple bank accounts were used to funnel millions of baht, leading them to the account of Noppol, which had received 26 deposits totalling 5.1 million baht between June 1 and July 3, 2023. Investigators believe that this account was primarily used to withdraw earnings from the online gambling site.
Noppol, the account holder, was found to reside in Nonthaburi, where evidence was gathered to secure his arrest. The police assert that this gambling ring operated a well-organised system where proceeds from customers were transferred through several accounts to obscure the money trail, ultimately reaching the individuals believed to be the website owners, in a classic money laundering scheme.
The cyber police are continuing their investigation to identify further participants in the operation and to expand their crackdown on illegal online gambling, reported KhaoSod.
Noppol has been taken into custody and is facing legal proceedings for his alleged criminal activities.
In related news, police have recently clamped down on a significant illegal online gambling operation in the affluent Pak Kret district, arresting one Thai gambler named Mongkol. The 46 year old’s arrest took place at a luxurious residence in the Bang Phlap sub-district of Nonthaburi province.