BANGKOK, Jan 23 – Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation (DSI) arrested two Nigerian men suspected of operating a scam misleading and luring Thai women, through social networking websites, who ended up sending as much as Bt20 million for false marriages.
DSI and Immigration Bureau officers arrested Benjamin Olakunle Oyewole and Oladapo Awooyele for conspiracy and using false information on internet sites, and causing damage to others.
DSI Foreign Affairs and Transnational Crime Bureau director Pol Col Songsak Raksaksakul told a news conference that the suspects committed their scam via websites such as Tagged and Facebook, as well as other social networking sites.
The suspects claimed to be US Navy sailors based in Afghanistan, showing the victims photos of good-looking naval personnel. They told their victims they would like early retirement in order to marry them, but said some payment would be required immediately in order to do that.
The Nigerian men worked as a team and had separate duties to lure targeted single women aged over 40, or widows.
According to the investigation, they allegedly committed their crime in many countries including Sweden, Britain, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong. Over 400 women became the gang’s victims.
