The Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECD) police raided four locations in three provinces in an intensified crackdown on an illegal movie website that had been operating for nearly 20 years, resulting in damages exceeding a billion baht.
The ECD conducted searches in Bangkok, the northern province of Surin and the southern province of Surat Thani. Their operation aimed to dismantle the underground network distributing pirated movies through major online platforms.
Following complaints from several private companies in the film industry, alleging the unauthorized distribution of pirated movies through the website siambit.com, known for streaming pirated movies online, authorities mobilized to investigate further.
During the raids, it was discovered that certain locations had modified rooms beneath staircases specifically for storing hard disks or copyrighted movie files, with the intention of evading detection. Several items were seized, including nine bank account books, two ATM cards, 29 hard disks, three desktop computers and laptops, one tablet, two mobile phones, 33 memory cards, and flash drives.
The website had been in operation since 2006 and was apprehended on February 7 this year.
It frequently changed its name to evade authorities and scrutiny. Currently, it boasts over a hundred thousand members. Investigations revealed that the revenue generated from membership fees exceeded 60 million baht, but the damages caused were estimated at over a billion baht. (TNA)
