BANGKOK, Thailand -– Phumwisarn Kasemsook, Secretary-General of the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), announced on November 13 the arrest of six individuals involved in an extortion scheme that exploited counterfeit goods vendors in exchange for protection from legal action. Among those arrested were two police officers and four civilians.
The investigation began after online vendors reported suspicious activities to PACC Region 3. According to the reports, a group consisting of officers from the Intellectual Property Crime Suppression Unit of Police Region 3 and individuals claiming to represent private companies extorted money from online shops in Buriram and Ubon Ratchathani.
The group allegedly demanded payments of 200,000-300,000 baht from shop owners in exchange for reducing the amount of counterfeit goods seized as evidence. The vendors were also coerced into paying monthly “protection fees” of 2,000-5,000 baht to nominee accounts to avoid further raids.
Following a thorough investigation, PACC found around 5 million baht circulating in the nominee accounts in 2023 alone. The Chaiyaphum Provincial Anti-Corruption Court subsequently issued arrest warrants for the six suspects, who were detained in Phu Khieo District, Chaiyaphum, and handed over to investigators for prosecution. (TNA)
