BANGKOK — Immigration police officials announced on Thursday the arrest of a Chinese woman wanted for a Ponzi scheme case in China with damages exceeding 150 million baht ($4 million).
Pol. Maj. Gen. Phantana Nuch-cha-nart, Deputy Commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, stated that officers from Division 4 of the Immigration Bureau led a team to arrest Ms. Hu Yuqi, 24, a Chinese national, on charges of “being an alien entering and residing in the kingdom without permission.”
She was apprehended at a condominium in the Pattaya area, Bang Lamung District, Chonburi Province.
The arrest followed an investigation which revealed that a Chinese woman had entered Thailand illegally and was living in a condominium in Pattaya. The officers carried out a check and found Ms. Hu in the room. They checked her passport and fingerprints in the Immigration Bureau’s information system (BIOMETRICS) and found that she had not entered Thailand legally.
The officials then coordinated with police officers from the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Thailand, who confirmed that Ms. Hu had a criminal record for “public fraud” in the form of a Ponzi scheme.
She allegedly tricked victims into believing that funds would be raised to purchase shares in an application called “bxin”, prompting many victims to invest, with a total loss of over 150 million baht.
During interrogation, Ms. Hu admitted that she had entered Thailand illegally through natural channels in the Golden Triangle area of Chiang Rai province. She was then taken to the Pattaya City Police Station for legal proceedings before being handed over to the Chinese authorities for further action.
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