Police Lieutenant Colonel Arrested for Involving Call Center Gang

Chiang Mai, Police Lieutenant Colonel involved in a call center gang arrested after fleeing to become a monk in Lampang. Police raided the temple and arrested him, taking him in for prosecution and expanding the investigation to find other members of the gang. More arrest warrants will be issued. From the case of issuing an arrest warrant for a police officer with the rank of Police Lieutenant Colonel from a police station in Chiang Mai Province, involved in a call center gang in Chiang Mai Province, yesterday evening (July 19, 2014), Pol. Maj. Gen. Thawatchai Phongwiwatchai, Commander of Chiang Mai Provincial Police, ordered the Chang Phueak Police Station to coordinate with the Ngao Police Station in Lampang Province to bring forces to arrest Pol. Lt. Col. Bandit while he was ordained as a monk and resided at a temple in Ngao District, Lampang Province. The Chiang Mai Provincial Court order was read to him before he was taken to the Lampang Provincial Sangha to be disrobed and taken to Chang Phueak Police Station, Chiang Mai for prosecution. Pol. Lt. Col. Bandit is a police inspector at a police station in Chiang Mai Province. He is the one who arranges for SIM boxes to be placed at various locations and has his son invite his friends to help take care of the system. The officers therefore requested the Chiang Mai Court to issue an arrest warrant for Pol. Lt. Col. Bandit, who was on leave from duty at the time. The charges filed by the police include 'jointly making, possessing, using, importing, exporting or trading in radio communication equipment without permission, jointly setting up a radio communication station without permission, and jointly using radio frequencies to conduct telecommunications business' after finding that it was likely related to a call center network in Chiang Mai Province. However, the initial investigation found that Pol. Lt. Col. Bandit denied being the leader of the call center gang, saying that he was only an accomplice, with a Chinese partner, along with four suspects who wer e previously arrested. Pol. Lt. Col. Bandit was the one who hired him. The police are urgently expanding the investigation and have found that there are 1-2 more accomplices, both Chinese and Thai. Arrest warrants to be issued for additional call center gangs The latest this morning, officers from Chang Phueak Police Station, Chiang Mai Province, took Pol. Lt. Col. Bandit from his cell to the 3rd floor. The police took him out through the back door to avoid the media, but he could not escape their view. They tried to chase him and ambush him on the 2nd floor. They tried to ask Pol. Lt. Col. Bandit questions, but he just looked down and did not answer any questions. They reached the 3rd floor conference room where Pol. Col. Kittipong Petchramuni was the one to give his statement. It was reported that Pol. Maj. Gen. Weerachon Boonthawi, deputy commander of Provincial Police Region 5, would travel to give his statement himself. Pol. Maj. Gen. Thawatchai Phongwiwatchai, Commander of Chiang Mai Provincial Polic e, said that from questioning the suspect's daughter, it was learned that the suspect's daughter was contacted by an acquaintance from Myanmar who is Chinese to bring the device used in the crime, or the SIM box, into Chiang Mai. The suspect's daughter asked the suspect to help place and move the items. As a police officer, one must know that these things are illegal and should not be done. There is evidence confirming that the suspect is involved, so an arrest warrant has been issued to take him in for prosecution. Currently, arrest warrants are being issued for the person who ordered and coordinated the bringing in of the device. There should be at least 3 people involved in the gang, and evidence is being collected. As for the police officers, when they commit a crime, we expedite the issuance of an arrest warrant to prevent it from being an example. Currently, an investigation committee has been set up regarding the wrongdoing. If wrongdoing is found, the next step is to decide whether to dismiss them fro m government service or not, which will be done soon. As far as I can see, no other police officers are involved and this is a crime committed by only the child and his family. All details are under investigation, including contacting the employer and the wrongdoing, and it is expected that they will be apprehended soon. Source: Thai News Agency