A recent cybercrime investigation has led to the capture and subsequent arrest of three people suspected of participating in an illegal online gun trading ring dubbed “Khote-siang V.7.” The extensive operation saw Technological Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) officers executing search warrants across Bangkok, Pathum Thani, and Nakhon Si Thammarat. The investigation unearthed an arsenal comprising two handguns and a considerable cache of over 30,000 ammunition rounds.
Heading the operation was Commander Pol Maj Gen Athip Pongsiwapai, who disclosed that the deep-seated investigation had been active for several months before reaching its successful conclusion. The target, the “Khote-siang V.7” gun-trading group, had amassed more than 300 members during its operational period. Within the span of two years, the group had seen an exchange of approximately 10 million baht. Concerningly, most of the clients were teenagers hailing from Bangkok and nearby provinces.
The suspects who were apprehended – San Chalawit (aged 40), Nipon Ruekprasert (31), and Weerasak Ritthapol (also 31) – were all charged with the unlawful possession of firearms, a charge both vehemently denied.
In parallel news related to civic concerns, Natthapong Sumanotham, a Move Forward Party MP from Samut Sakhon, has beckoned concerned authorities to conduct structural integrity checks on the Rama II Road bridge near the Mahachai Muang Mai area. This came after motorists reported large cracks and deteriorating concrete that posed a significant risk to the bridge’s stability. While the Highway Department has announced plans to refurbish a U-turn flyover on the same road, continuous safety concerns persist. Much of the disquiet can be chalked up to the 600-metre elevated road project collapse incident on Luang Phaeng Road in Lat Krabang district on July 10th, a mishap that resulted in two deaths and multiple injuries.
Moving on to crime news, fourteen individuals with alleged links to an online gambling network have been taken into custody. This crackdown was sparked following the investigation into the financial transactions of the already infamous serial killer, Sararat “Aem Cyanide” Rangsiwuthaporn, and her former spouse, Pol Lt Col Withoon Rangsiwuthaporn. Both were found to be associated with the ‘Fun88’ gambling network, which boasted a lively circulation of around 93 million baht. Assets amounting to about 15 million baht were seized in the operation, which included luxury vehicles and high-end goods.
Finally, in the realm of social disturbances, a surge of eccentric behaviours by foreigners has become a considerable concern among local inhabitants of Phuket. A TikTok video showcasing a foreign man causing vandalism to parked vehicles has intensified these concerns. The affected vehicles were parked outside a convenience store – the tires were slashed, windshield wipers broken, and windshields were leapt upon. The man, whose identity has been kept under wraps, is now in police custody after being subdued with a conducted energy device.
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