Belgian held for trying to scam 1.5m baht
TOURIST Police arrested a Belgian man on the charges of joining Thais in setting up a Mafia gang and threatening and swindling another Belgian businessman, Thai News Agency reported today (May 17).
Pol Maj-Gen Surachet Hakphan, deputy chief of Tourist Police, said Gaetan Sergel Rsdoutey, a Belgian national, and Mr Thongsai Hendsail, who is wanted under a criminal court warrant on fraud charges, were arrested at the latter’s house in Bang Lamung district of adjacent Chonburi province.
This followed a complaint by a Belgian businessman that the foreign Mafia group in Pattaya had pressured and threatened him to hand over 1.5 million baht.
This gang said they were real estate agents even though they are not involved in the property market.
When he refused to pay them he was harmed, he added.
There are 2 more suspects in this gang of fraudsters against whom warrants were issued around a month ago, with one of them being Mrs Nassanad Tinslanond, who the police are tracking down.
Investigation shows that this foreign gang has done this many times already with there being 3 to 4 victims.
Pol Maj-Gen Surachet added that Rsdoutey came to Thailand as a tourist over a year ago and registered marriage to a Thai woman which enabled him to overstay by almost year before his arrest today.
Police are also chasing an agent who has found over 300 Thai women to register marriage to foreigners.
“This is aimed at completely cutting the foreign Mafia circuit in Thailand,” Pol Maj-Gen Surachet said.
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Top: A Tourist Police chart showing the Belgian Mafia suspect at left and Pol Maj-Gen Surachet at the right side. Photo: Thai News Agency
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