A PHUKET food vendor who ran off with over 20 million baht by operating at least three chit funds was arrested in Bangkok and sent back to the resort island even though she had both changed her name and her face through plastic surgery, Sanook.com reported this morning (25.5.2020).
Miss Sirikarn or Miss Selsasithorn (surname withheld), 42, who was wanted under two warrants issued by Phuket court, denied the charges upon being arrested, saying she had repaid some of the money to her approximately a hundred clients.
The victims told police that the suspect had operated a food catering business from home and did not have a shop. She had invited her clients to follow her on her Facebook Fan Page called Baan Waewa and after a large number did, she lured them to invest in her chit funds.
The suspect had various types chit funds, running for just a day, 10 days and up to a month. Minimum investment was in terms of thousands, rising to 10,000 to 30,000 and hundreds of thousands baht.
Her former clients told police that some of them had invested in various ways and had invited their family and friends to join in because she paid regularly. This was until June 1, 2017 when she started putting off payment and then shutting her Facebook and Line accounts and fleeing.
The victims added that after she had fled the suspect had continued embezzling and stealing in the same area and finally jumped bail and disappeared.
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Top: The chit fund fraud suspect after being arrested in Bangkok. Thai headline says, “Did not get away despite face change.” Photo: Sanook.com
