Thai immigration police raided a Pattaya condominium on Wednesday evening and arrested five Indian men accused of illegally working as administrators for an India-based online gambling network, officials said.
Pol. Col. Napaspong Khositsuriyamanee, chief of Chonburi Immigration, led the operation on November 19 after investigators received a tip that a group of Indian nationals had set up an illicit workspace inside a condo on Soi Thepprasit 17 in Bang Lamung district.
Officers found the men on the second floor sitting in front of laptop computers, with more than 20 mobile phones spread across a table. Police seized three laptops, 22 phones, a tablet, credit cards and notebooks detailing money transfers totaling several million rupees — about 61,595 USD — consistent with deposits used for online gambling platforms, Napaspong said.
The five suspects were identified as Shivam, 29; Sandeep, 24; Sakir, 27; Kapil, 24; and Gaurav, 39. All denied wrongdoing and gave evasive answers during questioning, claiming only that they were customer-service “admins” without specifying the nature of the work.
Police said the group had been operating from Thailand as a backend team for Indian gambling websites.
The men were charged with working without a permit under Thailand’s 2017 foreign labor management law and were transferred to Pattaya City Police Station for further legal action.
Source: Khaosod English