PATTAYA, Thailand – Police raided a luxury pool villa in Pattaya on April 20 and arrested 20 Indian men accused of working illegally as online administrators for an alleged stock trading and investment scam targeting people in India.
The operation was led by Napaspong Khositsuriyamanee and Prabda Suksuntree, along with immigration and tourist police officers, after authorities received reports that more than 30 Indian nationals were living together inside a house in the Chaiyaphruek 2 area of Nongprue.
Officers surrounded the two-storey luxury villa and found more than 20 Indian men sitting at laptop computers with dozens of mobile phones placed in front of them. Police said the house had been modified into a hidden office, with curtains covering windows and doors to block outside views.
Investigators said the suspects were allegedly communicating online with people in India and persuading them to invest in businesses, gold trading, cryptocurrency and stock trading schemes. Authorities said the group appeared to be operating in shifts and had departments for call center work, marketing, finance and administration.
Police seized 18 laptop computers, 30 mobile phones and printed documents showing salary structures for different roles inside the operation. Investigators found some marketing staff were allegedly earning up to 100,000 Indian rupees per month, equivalent to about 34,000 baht.
All 20 men were taken to the Chonburi Immigration Office in Jomtien for further questioning. Police said the suspects admitted they entered Thailand during the Songkran holiday period and had arrived in the country around March. They allegedly confessed to helping run stock trading websites aimed at Indian customers in exchange for commissions from investors.
Authorities also found another 10 Indian nationals, both men and women, inside the property. They were accused of failing to report their place of residence to immigration authorities.
The 20 men working inside the villa were initially charged with working in Thailand without permission. Police said further investigation is underway to determine whether additional charges related to fraud or illegal financial activity will follow.
Recent raids in Pattaya have uncovered a growing pattern of foreign-run operations using rental villas as bases for online scams, gambling websites and illegal call centers targeting people overseas.
