Transnational-crime police arrested a Russian couple in Pattaya allegedly churning out fake documents to obtain visas.
Pol. Gen. Witsanu Prasartthongosod, director of the Combatting Transnational Crime and Illegal Immigration Center, also announced at a press conference in Pattaya March 22, the arrest of a Chinese gang allegedly running an illegal online casino.
Irina Prokasheva, 59, and Alexey Luptov, 63, were captured with copies of passports, certified documents from Sberbank in Russia and cash.
Witsanu accused the pair of selling fake bank statements showing balances large enough to obtain Thai retirement visas and visa extensions over the VK social-media network, disguising their activities as selling food.
The two were charged with working without a permit, being “forbidden aliens” under the Immigration Act and engaging in behavior deemed harmful to public order and security.
In the case of the Chinese group, Xudong Zhao and eight other suspects were charged with overstaying their visas after a raid of their online-gambling office in Bangkok.
