No escape: DSI arrested “Natty, Net Idol” at the airport for a Forex trading scam after hiding in Indonesia for over 2 years

            On Friday, October 25, 2024, at 2:00 PM, Police Captain Wisanu Chimtrakool, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), held a joint press conference with Police Lieutenant General Thatchai Pitaneelaboot, Assistant Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police, along with other high-ranking officials, to announce the arrest of Ms. Suchataa, also known as Natty, a well-known internet idol, and her mother, Ms. Taniya. On the same day, at 1:40 PM, Mr. Withawat Sukantharos, Head of the Surveillance and Intelligence Center, along with officers from the Center and Don Mueang Airport police officers, jointly arrested Ms. Suchataa (also known as Natty or Leah) and Mrs. Taniya (also known as Mrs. Saranya), a mother and daughter duo who are suspects in Special Case no. 294/2565. They are accused of jointly committing borrowing regarded as public cheating under the Emergency Decree on Borrowings which are Regarded as Public Cheating and Fraud, B.E. 2527 (1984); jointly committing public fraud under the Criminal Code; and jointly importing false data into a computer system in a manner that is likely to cause damage to the public under the Computer-Related Crime Act, B.E. 2550 (2007). The arrest occurred at Don Mueang International Airport, Bangkok, after the suspects fled to Indonesia to evade arrest for allegedly deceiving people into Forex trading.
            This case originated when Police Major Worranan Srilum, Director of the Bureau of Illegal Financial Business, and Police Captain Thinavudth Silapat, Director of the Foreign Affairs and Transnational Crime Bureau, were notified by the Consular Section of the Royal Thai Embassy in the Republic of Indonesia that two Thai nationals had been detained for immigration offenses. A review of their records revealed that Ms. Suchataa and Mrs. Taniya were suspects in Special Case no. 294/2565. They had been fugitives with arrest warrants issued at the request of the Royal Thai Police for criminal offenses. This was reported to Police Major Yutthana Praedam, Acting Director-General of the DSI, who was aware of the situation throughout. He then directed the Bureau of Illegal Financial Business to cooperate with the Bureau of Foreign Affairs and Transnational Crime in coordinating and joining forces with the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau and the Foreign Affairs Division of the Royal Thai Police to coordinate with the Indonesian authorities to request cooperation in considering the deportation of the two suspects back to Thailand to face criminal justice. Later, on Friday, October 25, 2024, Indonesian authorities deported both suspects, who traveled from the Republic of Indonesia by plane and arrived at Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok, where officers from the DSI and Royal Thai Police jointly received the suspects, took them into custody, and transferred them to the DSI for further legal proceedings. Both are suspects in Special Case no. 294/2565, accused of soliciting the public to invest in Forex trading via the IQ Option platform and then failing to deliver the promised returns and refund the investments. On May 14, 2024, the Cyber Crime Investigation Division 5 transferred the case files and arrest warrants to the DSI. In addition, 23 assets worth approximately 16,688,165 baht were seized and handed over to the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO). The DSI has also seized three more assets and is continuing its investigation into additional assets. The case involves 438 victims, with total damages amounting to 239,463,716.80 baht. The fraudulent activities occurred between August 2021 and May 2022.