Cyber Police Arrest Mule Account Manager With 53 Phones
Thai cyber police arrested a 44-year-old man accused of managing mule bank accounts for the "Siam855" online gambling network, seizing 53 mobile phones, 53 corporate bank passbooks, computers, and a vehicle. The suspect claimed he was hired to register a front company and open accounts but did not know they were used for illegal gambling and money laundering. Police have charged him with facilitating online gambling and money laundering and are pursuing other members of the network.
On November 12, 2026, Pol. Col. Thira Chueasuwan, Commander of Sub-Division 1, Division 5, led a team to expand the investigation from the crackdown on the "Siam855" online gambling network, which had a circulation of over 140 million baht. After tracking a suspect with an arrest warrant in one of the operations, investigators learned he had fled to a rental room in the Chaiphruk-Ring Road area, Sai Noi Subdistrict, Sai Noi District, Nonthaburi Province. They gathered evidence and obtained a search warrant from the Nonthaburi Provincial Court.
During the search, Pol. Lt. Col. Phapan Buddeekhan, Deputy Commander of Sub-Division 1, Division 5, and Pol. Lt. Col. Suthi Buddeekam, Inspector of Sub-Division 1, Division 5, reported that officers apprehended Mr. Warapong, 44, the bank account manager for the gambling site, inside a second-floor bedroom of the rental room. He was a suspect under Criminal Court Arrest Warrant No. 6108/2026 dated October 14, 2026. Officers seized evidence related to the offense, including 53 mobile phones used for banking apps, 53 corporate bank passbooks with company documents, one laptop, two desktop computers, ten company name stamps, and one sedan.
Under questioning, the suspect claimed he was recruited and hired by an individual via the Line application, who asked him to send a photo of his ID card to register a company. Later, another person informed him via Line that the company registration for "Ko and Ko KP Limited" was complete, with him listed as a director and the business objectives listed as software and hardware development, graphic design, and online and print advertising. That person then sent him mobile phones, instructing him to buy SIM cards, register the numbers, open corporate bank accounts, install banking apps on the phones, and send the phones with the accounts back to the employer via a courier company.
The suspect further stated he opened six corporate bank accounts and handed them all to a person named "Nat," receiving a fee of 5,000 baht per month per account, paid on the 7th of each month via transfer to his personal account. He claimed he did not know what the bank accounts were used for.
Initially, police do not believe the suspect's claims because the evidence found contradicts his statement in several aspects. He was arrested on charges of "jointly arranging for gambling, or providing facilities, advertising, or inviting others directly or indirectly to gamble via electronic media without permission, conspiring with two or more persons to commit money laundering, and committing money laundering as a result of such conspiracy."
Currently, police are expanding the investigation to arrest other suspects in the network and trace the financial trail to the beneficiaries, in order to seize assets derived from the crime and proceed with legal action.
The arrest resulted from the efforts of Pol. Maj. Gen. Thinakorn Rang...
