5 arrested operating online gambling
Police arrested five men for operating online gambling in a raid on a condominium in Bang Khen district early on Saturday night, police said.
Pol Lt Col Chaikrit Pho-a, deputy commander of the Metropolitan Police Bureau's Patrol and Special Operation Division, said the raid followed reports that a website for online gambling had been operated from luxury Premio Fresco condominium complex on Ram Intra road in Anusawari sub-district of Bang Khen.In the raid on rooms Nos 54/86 and 54/112, which had been used as an office for operating the website, police arrested five men identified only as Terdkiat or Terd, 28, Ratchanon or Ton, 26, Pattaratorn or Ter, 25, Yanwuut or Nite, 26, and Anusorn or Tam, 26, who were operating the system with computers.The police seized six computers, ten monitors, three wi-fi routers and eight mobile phones as evidence of the illegal online gambling.Mr Terdkiat, one of the five suspects, said they were hired by a man called Kla, whose real name and surname were not known, for 13,000-18,000 baht a month to operate the system and provide cash deposit and withdrawal services for some 2,000 customers.He said the operation had 20 million baht per month in circulation and generated about 2 million baht profit per month.Mr Terdkiat said an office for operating the website was previously opened in Cambodia. The office was moved to this condominium in Bangkok about a year ago because of the Covid-19 situation. He learned that the office would be moved back to Cambodia at the end of this month, but the plan had been foiled by the raid.The five men were initially charged with violating the Gambling Act and handed over to Bang Khen police for legal proceedings.