Couple held for faking police chief, 'Big Joke' Line accounts

Police held a briefing on Friday after arresting a couple impersonating as the national police chief and immigration bureau chief and duping policemen into paying them in exchange for promotion. (Photo from www.fm91bkk.com)

A married couple have been arrested for creating fake Line chat accounts using profile photos of national police chief Chakthip Chaijinda and Immigration Bureau chief Surachate Hakparn to dupe more than 10 police into paying them money in exchange for promotion.

A police investigation has also been launched into the officers who tried to bribe the fake national police chief for promotion.

Kittisak Siriwithayawong, 32, and his wife Pailin Wee-oupkaew, 29, who run an aluminium product business, were caught on Wednesday at a car park of a shopping mall in Bang Khae district, Bangkok, said Pol Lt Gen Suthin Sapphuang, chief of the Central Investigation Bureau during a media conference on Friday.

The couple had allegedly created fake Line chat accounts impersonating Pol Gen Chakthip and Pol Lt Gen Surachate, aka "Big Joke''. They then contacted police wanting to be promoted and more than 10 officers fell victims to their plot, said Pol Lt Gen Suthin. The damage caused to the victims were about 1.5 million baht.

The arrests came after some of the victims had filed complaints with technology crime police on Feb 21 against the couple. The complainants allegedly claimed the couple had duped them into transferring money to their accounts between January and July last year in exchange for the promotion, Thai media reported.

The pair have been charged with fraud and putting false information into computer systems.

During the interrogation, Mr Kittisak confessed but his wife denied the charges.

Pol Col Kritsana Pattanacharoen, deputy police spokesman, said the national police chief has also ordered a probe into the officers who tried to buy their positions.

Pol Gen Chakthip insisted he would take drastic action against the couple.

Police investigators on Friday took Mr Kittisak and Ms Pailin to the Criminal Court to seek court approval for the first round of detention to March 12. The court approved the request.