Thai police said Monday they have detained a 31-year-old Japanese man believed to be a ringleader of a fraud group based in Cambodia.
The suspect, identified as Takafumi Sugawara, is alleged to have been involved in more than 40 fraud cases targeting Japanese nationals, with total damages believed to exceed ?1 billion ($6.2 million), according to TBS.
According to police, the man was involved in scams in which perpetrators impersonated police officers and prosecutors. He is also suspected of recruiting Japanese nationals through fake job offers and taking them to Phnom Penh, Cambodia¡¯s capital, where they were forced to engage in fraud.
The man was detained Sunday at Suvarnabhumi Airport on the outskirts of Bangkok as he was allegedly attempting to flee to Malaysia. He is expected to be deported to Japan.
On Friday, Thai police detained a 38-year-old Japanese man believed to have led a special fraud scheme based in the city of Poipet, in northwestern Cambodia.
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