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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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