Boonlua Chatree
Area police have arrested a gang of 10 Thai and foreign men
suspected of looting more than 20 million baht from Pattaya automated teller
machines using counterfeit cards.
Transnational Crime Coordination Center officers announced the apprehension
of the three Thais, four Ukrainians, two Belarus nationals and an Iranian
July 27. Two vehicles, 70,000 baht, notebook computer, skimmer, seven card
data strips, record books and 348 fake ATM cards were seized.
The arrests came after a complaint from Siam Commercial Bank that two groups
of men were hitting ATM machines throughout Pattaya using fake cards. After
obtaining security-camera photos, police were able to arrest Phanudet
Jaemsai, 30; Iranian Ahmad Farsi, 37; and Belarus natives Viachaslau
Miadzvedzeu, 37; and Andrei Hliakau, 35, at a Siam Commercial ATM machine on
Soi Chaiyapruek.
Another group of investigators nailed Attapol Janthanont,
28; Pairat Jermsongnern, 28; and Ukrainians Mykola Akhtemiichuk, 25; Ivan
Georgiiev, 27, and Grygoriy Myronyul, 37, at another ATM on Soi Khao Talo.
During the arrest, Akhtemiichuk resisted and was injured.
Following interrogation, the suspects gave police information to arrest
suspected ringleader Oleg Safonov, 24, as he walked on Jomtien Beach.
Police said gang members were operating out of rooms at the C.K. Residence
Hotel and B.J. Holiday Lodge, using cards cloned from victims in Europe to
steal 20 million baht from ATMs in Thailand.
Police said Phanudet confessed that he and the other Thais worked as drivers
for the Eastern Europeans and their Thai criminal connection, who remains at
large. Each of the drivers would get 5 percent of the haul while their Thai
boss would get 10 percent. The Europeans would keep 75 percent of the take.
