Police Arrest Poipet Call Center Gang Member Fleeing to Thailand Before Returning to Cambodia
Thai police arrested a 35-year-old gang member in Bangkok who was fleeing to Cambodia after operating a transnational call center scam that impersonated police to extort victims since mid-2024.
On May 12, 2026, Deputy Police Commissioner Chanannat Saratwalpaet ordered officers including Phanuphát Kittiphan and Phrasek Chaowsan to apprehend Amorn Thep, 35, based on a warrant from the Bangkok South Criminal Court. He faces charges of participating in a transnational organized crime ring, extortion, fraud through impersonation, inputting false data into computer systems, and forging official documents. The arrest was made in Chatuchak district, Bangkok, on May 11 following an investigation that began in mid-2024 when victims reported being threatened by scammers posing as police through phone and video calls.
The gang operated in three specialized cells: account holders, call operators, and money laundering specialists. The investigation revealed multiple accomplices, some of whom fled back to Cambodia. Intelligence indicated that Thep had re-entered Thailand in early May and was preparing to return to Cambodia when officers tracked and arrested him. During questioning, Thep admitted he was initially deceived into serving as a money mule before joining the operation, where he posed as a police officer during intimidating video calls to coerce victims into sending money.
