Police on Friday (June 19) booked four Chinese nationals, named as Xie Haiping, 34, Yang Changbin, 27, Min Zhong, 35 and Su Chanfeng, 35.
Police photographed the suspects and reported the following seized evidence: 37 fake electronic cash cards seized from a bag allegedly belonging to Haiping; 111 cards from a bag of Changbin; 140 from a bag of Zhong and 22 cards and B20,000 in cash from Chuanfeng.
In addition, police also presented three Dragon Air plane tickets* that were in the names of Haiping, Changbin and Chuanfeng; along with a booking confirmation document; one inbound immigration document (Form TorMor 6) and two sheets of paper containing electronic card PIN numbers.
Police said that one of the four suspects – of whom they did not identify – had used a fake credit card to withdraw an undisclosed amount of cash from an ATM at the Thai Military Bank on Ratsadauthit 200 Pi Rd in Patong.
In the ensuing investigation, police were able to expand their crime net and track down four suspects to an undisclosed hotel room in Patong.
Police said that men were thought to part of a skimming gang that had previously been working in Bangkok, just a few days prior to their arrests in Phuket.
In a statement to the press police revealed that “Part of the gang had fled overseas, but [we were] able to apprehend them and bring them* back [to Phuket] to be booked for their* crime.”
Police have been particularly selective about information released to the press about this case to avoid leaking sensitive information that could hinder further investigations.