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dirtydog

Metropolitan police yesterday busted a 100-million-baht scam involving a bogus car rental company which had stolen vehicles to sell to customers in neighbouring countries. Police raided the Paradise Car Rent Co and arrested Thanchanok Deesantia, 35, Karin Tawira, 26, and Ampa Kanchanakankul, 27 on fraud charges.
Arrest warrants were also issued for Jessada Krueakam, 28, Chawanant Katemanee, 23, and Prattana Janthai, 23, who have been charged with conspiracy to defraud.

Jet Mongkolhatthi, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said the company had defrauded its customers by claiming that it was legally contracted to sub-lease vehicles to government agencies and some private companies.

He said the company would deceive people by making them buy brand-new vehicles and then ask them to rent them out through the company.

The firm would then have them stolen for sale in neighbouring countries.

Pol Maj-Gen Jet said the company would lure buyers by offering to pay them a monthly rent of up to 40,000 baht, lasting two to three months at the most. More than 100 people have been cheated this way, losing cars altogether worth more than 100 million baht in the swindle, he said.

Pol Maj-Gen Jet said investigators were also hunting a prominent businessman believed to be the brains behind the scam.

Sita Meesinfu, 33, a victim of the scam, said after she learned from a friend that the company was paying a high sum to rent vehicles, her family decided to buy four cars for the company to rent.

She said the company claimed that it could afford to pay the high rental fee because it had won the bidding to sub-lease cars to the Labour Ministry.

She said the company even paid the first rent in advance to impress them.

In the following months, when the rents were long overdue, she phoned the people at the company but they refused to talk to her.

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Spin

Som nam foking na, greed fcuked you right up there didnt it Somchai.

It would only take an eight year old farang to figure out that this was a scam, the company would buy its own cars if it needed them.

bkkandrew

...And there's the rub. The intelligence of Thais, crippled by simplistic greed, even amongst Thais with money, could be trumped by eight year olds from most other countries...

keda

fear and greed, with a touch of ignorance.

panama hat

. . . and arrogance

Reaper

The reason why Jesus could not have been Thai. No virgins and no wise men!

EmperorTud

He said the company would deceive people by making them buy brand-new vehicles and then ask them to rent them out through the company. No one made them do anything. Their own greed allowed them to purchase cars and give them to the bogus company to rent.

The firm would then have them stolen for sale in neighbouring countries.

Pol Maj-Gen Jet said the company would lure buyers by offering to pay them a monthly rent of up to 40,000 baht, lasting two to three months at the most. More than 100 people have been cheated this way, losing cars altogether worth more than 100 million baht in the swindle, he said.
Not unheard of to see chancers like expatmotors renting out Fortuners and Camrys for similar prices.

Pol Maj-Gen Jet said investigators were also hunting a prominent businessman believed to be the brains behind the scam.
Obviously too prominent to arrest.

Sita Meesinfu, 33, a victim of the scam, said after she learned from a friend that the company was paying a high sum to rent vehicles, her family decided to buy four cars for the company to rent.
Dumb.

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Mortals you defy the Gods, I sentence you to travel among unknown stars, until you find the Kingdom of Hades, your bodies will stay as lifeless as stone.

dirtydog

Three police officers will face a disciplinary inquiry after lying to their supervisors and attempting to falsify evidence over a scam involving hire-car firms, police spokesman Pongsapat Pongcharoen said yesterday. Pol Sgt Montri Thewarat, Pol Cpl Chaiwat Prachachai and Pol Capt Karin Thongmanokoon were found to have falsified records related to the entry into a police compound of a stolen minibus and also to have tampered with video files of the police office's security cameras, according to the spokesman.

Pol Lt-Gen Pongsapat said the three officers had tried to delete video footage featuring their pictures from the office's database, but computer technicians managed to retrieve the deleted files.

Police chief Pol Gen Sereepisut Taemeeyaves has ordered a panel to be set up to conduct a disciplinary investigation of the three officers, said Pol Lt-Gen Pongsapat.

The officers' involvement with the missing van came to light on Tuesday when one of about 50 victims of an alleged swindle related to a vehicle-hire scheme found his missing van parked at police headquarters and saw Pol Sgt Montri opening his van.

Pol Sgt Montri then told the van owner, Kasem Sasakul, that a man called Somchai had left the van with him on Monday evening, adding that Mr Somchai had rented the van but suspected it was a stolen vehicle.

On Tuesday Pol Sgt Montri said Mr Somchai asked police to search for the van's real owner. However, Pol Sgt Montri later admitted he drove the van into police headquarters himself.

He said he had rented the van from Pol Capt Karin for 1,000 baht a day and used it as a hire vehicle serving tourists at various hotels.

He apologised to the media and claimed he lied out of fear that he could be linked to a crime racket when Mr Kasem approached him.

According to Pol Sgt Montri, Pol Capt Karin also earned extra income selling cars and lending money via car mortgage schemes.

Pol Lt-Gen Pongsapat said that as well as facing the disciplinary inquiry, Min Buri police investigating the swindling gang would be asked to prove if the three officers were part of that gang.

Metropolitan police chief Aswin Kwanmuang said the police team tasked with searching for the missing vehicles, led by Pol Col Preecha Thimamontri, found some of the victims' vehicles had already been exported to Laos, and the law in Laos made it impossible for police to get those vehicles back.

In Bangkok, Metropolitan police from all units are scanning parking lots, including those at private apartments, condominiums and warehouses, in a bid to locate some of the vehicles belonging to victims of the car-hire scam.

In Nakhon Ratchasima where police seized 12 vehicles and a pistol stored in a warehouse in Thepthani housing estate in Muang district last week, the warehouse owner, Choochart Choedpetcharat, yesterday turned up to tell local police he owned the pistol and managed the warehouse.

Lt Choochart insisted all 12 vehicles belonged to his friends and clients, and said none were related to any car theft gang.

bkkandrew

This is the problem when the BIB have less that a week in hiding to come up with their excuses...

qwerty

They might find more of them if they concentrated their search on Police station parking lots, policemen's driveways and businesses owned by policemen!

dirtydog

(BangkokPost.com) - The number of people who are victims of car-hire scam has risen to 244 on Saturday, police said.

The people have lodged complaints at Min Buri police station accusing Thanchanok Deesantia, the owner of Paradise Palace, and Natnarin Moohammad, the owner of Yufuku Decorate, of swindling them by acting as their car rental agents but failing to pay them rent and refusing to return their vehicles.

Pol Lt-Col Chot Suwanjunee, deputy investigation superintendent of Min Buri police station, said investigators are set to ask court to issue arrest warrants for two more suspects -- a financial officer and a driver of Yufuku Decorate.

Police are looking for victims' vehicles at used car dealer centres in Bangkok and neighbouring provinces.