Call center gang busted in Phnom Penh

BANGKOK, Feb 16 (TNA) - Thai-Cambodian police jointly bust a call center gang in Phnom Penh, targeting Thai victims while 26 Thai suspects are involved in the phone scam. Thai Police Attaché met Cambodian deputy supreme commander after they found a clue of the call center gang that duped Thai people with losses, totaling over 100 million baht. The Thai and Cambodian police raided three locations at an abandoned hospital, a rented luxury house in Phnom Penh and a house in Kampong Som or Sihanoukville. In the joint operations, the police arrested 26 Thais, six Taiwanese people and five Cambodians. Some are willing to join the phone scam gang but some were forced to do so. The latter group is abused, given illegal drug and detained. The police seized many computers, internet equipment and phone logs with details of a large number of calls at three sites. According to the investigation, the phone scam gang is led by Taiwanese and Malaysian people. The gang used to operate in Thailand but they were arrested and jumped bail, moving their base to Phnom Penh and Kuala Lumpur to defraud Thai people. Pol Maj Gen Surachet Hakpal, deputy commissioner of the tourist police said the gang is based in Cambodia and Taiwanese, Chinese and Malaysian people forced some Thai employees to operate the call center to swindle Thai victims. (TNA)