Officers led by Pol Maj Suwisit Khirirak and Pol Maj Seksit Kulcharoen, investigators with the Phuket Provincial Police, arrested the suspect, named by police only as 38-year-old “Mr Korn” (real name withheld) about 1pm yesterday (July 5).
Korn was arrested in the Phuket Wittayalai area on Chumphon Rd, Phuket Town, Provincial Police said their report.
Korn was found in possession with 20 “ready-to-use” SIM cards and two Thai ID card readers.
A subsequent search of a location not disclosed saw officers seize 27 unregistered SIM cards and 15 more Thai ID card readers, said the Provincial Police report.
Korn was taken to Phuket City Police Station to be charged for the illegal promotion and distribution of SIM cards, namely providing a registered SIM card to a another person whose identity cannot be confirmed.
The arrest of Korn yesterday followed the arrest of Rangsini ‘Bow’ Prawanna, 27, a resident of Moo 5, Srisoonthon, as announced by Region 8 Police on Monday (July 4).
Rangsini was found with 50 registered DTAC SIM cards, one registered phone and a copy of a banknote that she used to lure people to buy the SIM cards, at B2,800 apiece.
Region 8 Police reported that their investigation had found that Rangsini was had sent thousands of SIM cards to Chiang Rai in Northern Thailand and to Sa Kaeo province on the Cambodian border. She shipped about 1,000 SIM cards a month, police said.
Region 8 Police explained that under Section 11 of the Royal Decree on Cyber Crime Prevention and Suppression, which came into effect on Mar 17, it is illegal for a person to obtain or sell phone numbers to pass on for other people to use without knowing the end user’s identity.
Allowing someone else to use their SIM card for any illicit activity carries penalties of two to five years in prison, or a maximum fine of B200,000 to B500,000, or both.
As part of the same police operation, three people in Krabi were also arrested for offenses under Section 11 of the Royal Decree on Cyber Crime Prevention and Suppression.