Bangkok-
The Huai Khwang Police Station in Bangkok has connected two recent cryptocurrency exchange robberies to a common suspect, believed to be a Chinese national orchestrating the crimes from afar.
The first incident unfolded in a rented house located in Soi Pracha Rat Bamphen 12, where a Chinese victim was defrauded of 5 million baht. The robbery involved three Chinese suspects who fled with the cash after a failed cryptocurrency exchange. The police managed to trace a mobile phone that had been placed inside the stolen bag, leading them to recover the cash from a property in Sathon district. However, the suspects remain at large, with the police intensifying their manhunt as of press time.
The second case occurred at the G-Tower on Rama 9 Road, where two Chinese individuals were similarly duped out of 8 million baht. Here, four Chinese suspects were involved in the theft. The swift response from law enforcement led to the arrest of two of the perpetrators, with the money being retrieved. Meanwhile, two accomplices are still being sought.
In both incidents, the victims were lured into meetings arranged by a middleman for the purpose of converting their cash into cryptocurrency. The transactions were supposed to involve a third party, another Chinese national, whose account was used for the cryptocurrency transfer. However, the victims never received the digital currency they were promised. The suspects fled the scene after falsely claiming that the transfers had been completed.
The middleman, identified tentatively as a Mr. Chen, from mainland China, who is believed to have organized these meetings but was not present at the locations of the crimes. According to one of the victims, they had previously engaged in successful transactions with Chen, which adds a layer of complexity to the case as it suggests a possible shift in his operational tactics or involvement with new associates.
The police are now focusing their efforts on locating Chen, who might have left Thailand before or after the robberies took place. The investigation is also looking into the digital footprints of the transactions, attempting to trace the cryptocurrency movements to potentially identify more players in this scheme.
