To date, investigators believe Ufun may have cheated up to 120,000 members in Thailand out of an estimated B38 billion. (See story here.)
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 last month said that the 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. (See story here.)
In Phuket on Tuesday (July 7), Col Angkul Klaiklueng of the Royal Thai Police Consumer Protection Division led the raid on the NN used car dealership on Thepkrasattri Rd in Rassada, in front of the new bus terminal.
Officers arrested NN dealership owner Nathin Puthamrong, 42, under a warrant issued for his suspected involvement in the Ufun scheme.
He has been charged with with money laundering, fraud and involvement in an international crime network.
At the used car lot, officers seized an Audi A7 and a Mecedes-Benz. The Audi was found to be without any registration papers, and the Benz was registered to Thaychasit Prasomsap, a Ufun suspect and a former soldier who is now a wanted fugitive on the run.
Police estimated that the two cars had an estimated value of B10 million.
Natthin told police that Thaychasit had brought the car to him to sell, and that the owner of the Audi was struggling with payments, so he wanted Natthin to sell his car, too.
However, officials told reporters that their investigation had shown that Natthin had been involved with the Ufun scheme for more than two years.
Col Angkul said Nathin was one of 164 suspects wanted by police.
“So far we have arrested 30 of them. The arrest of Nathin was possible because Phuket City police helped to locate the suspect,” he said.
“We believe at least 10 suspects wanted for involvement in the Ufun case are still in Phuket, and we’ll find them.”