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Husband, wife arrested over B400m diamond trading scam
A husband and wife have been arrested in connection with a diamond trading scam which cost 17 victims more than 400 million baht in total losses between March 2010 and January this year.
Chuangchote Akharapanyawat and Thanalak, or Wongploy Akharapanyawat, were detained yesterday following a complaint filed with the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) by a group of victims led by Punyawee Rangsi-athiwach.
The group accused the couple and another woman named Sriwarin Phoonthanarom, or Sansanee Wanichakeerati, of luring them into believing that they were putting their money into an investment that yielded high returns through buying and selling imported diamonds.
After questioning about 20 witnesses and examining evidence, the DSI concluded that Mrs Sriwarin, Mr Chuangchote, and Mrs Thanalak had colluded to con more than 400 million baht out of the 17 people, said DSI chief Tarit Pengdith.
Mr Chuangchote and Mrs Thanalak were charged with fraud, although they insisted that they too were victims of this scam.
Mrs Sriwarin is still at large and the two suspects said they did not know where she was. Mrs Sriwarin is a relative of Mr Chaungchote.
Many of the scam victims took out loans with annual interest rates of between 4.5% and 6.3% a year to invest in the pyramid scheme.
In the beginning, they received cheques equal to at least 10% of their investment every month.
However, last November Mrs Sriwarin asked them to come to a meeting where she gave them cheques, but told them to wait to cash them the following month.
The cheques subsequently bounced and none of them were able to contact Mrs Sriwarin.
A husband and wife have been arrested in connection with a diamond trading scam which cost 17 victims more than 400 million baht in total losses between March 2010 and January this year.
Chuangchote Akharapanyawat and Thanalak, or Wongploy Akharapanyawat, were detained yesterday following a complaint filed with the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) by a group of victims led by Punyawee Rangsi-athiwach.
The group accused the couple and another woman named Sriwarin Phoonthanarom, or Sansanee Wanichakeerati, of luring them into believing that they were putting their money into an investment that yielded high returns through buying and selling imported diamonds.
After questioning about 20 witnesses and examining evidence, the DSI concluded that Mrs Sriwarin, Mr Chuangchote, and Mrs Thanalak had colluded to con more than 400 million baht out of the 17 people, said DSI chief Tarit Pengdith.
Mr Chuangchote and Mrs Thanalak were charged with fraud, although they insisted that they too were victims of this scam.
Mrs Sriwarin is still at large and the two suspects said they did not know where she was. Mrs Sriwarin is a relative of Mr Chaungchote.
Many of the scam victims took out loans with annual interest rates of between 4.5% and 6.3% a year to invest in the pyramid scheme.
In the beginning, they received cheques equal to at least 10% of their investment every month.
However, last November Mrs Sriwarin asked them to come to a meeting where she gave them cheques, but told them to wait to cash them the following month.
The cheques subsequently bounced and none of them were able to contact Mrs Sriwarin.
