“Only one of the remaining four suspects in Phuket is a Phuket native,” said an investigator from the Consumer Protection Board (CPB) Phuket office, who asked not to be named.
“But all four are fugitives wanted on warrants.”
Investigators managed to contact the Phuket native fugitive, who assured officers that he would surrender to police.
“But he has yet to present himself,” the CPB investigator told The Phuket News. “We are looking for him now. We still think he is hiding in Phuket.”
The investigator declined to name the four fugitives, or specify how much money they are suspected of funnelling through the Ufun scheme.
Ufun suspects Damrongsak Pitisuk, 38, and his wife Pornthicha, 37, both wanted on an arrest warrant issued on June 23 this year, surrendered at Chalong Police Station last Sunday (August 23), and were presented to the press the next day.
“Both suspects received Achievement Awards for being excellent employees of Ufun at the Black Night party by URICH in December 2014,” said Col Angkul Klaiklueng, Chief of the Royal Thai Police Consumer Protection Division, which operates out of Bangkok.
Police believe that Damrongsak and Pornthicha defrauded more than 100 people of their investments, and had nearly B40 million in investor funds funnelled through their bank accounts. (See story here.)
Damrongsak and Pornthicha have been charged with defrauding investors and working together as part of a transnational criminal organisation.
An investigator with the Consumer Protection Board, who asked not to be named said, “The investigation into others is still ongoing. Both Damrongsak and Pornthicha will be sent to the Consumer Protection Board head office in Bangkok for further questioning.”
“We are still investigating 100 more cases of people being defrauded through Ufun,” he said.
The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) is currently tracing 35 financial transactions from Ufun networks to 10 countries between January 2014 and April 28, 2015, said Pol Lt Col Pakorn Sucheevakun, director of the DSI’s Technology and Information Inspection Centre.
Assistant police chief Suwira Songmetta in June said that the Ufun scam had been plotted in Malaysia and spread to Australia, Britain, China, France, Germany, Guinea, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and the United States.