In Phuket, a "real estate agent" was arrested, who deceived Russian tourists for millions of baht

On August 26, Phuket police raided and arrested a woman named Thanaporn, also known as "Yu". According to The Thaiger and The Phuket News, Thanaporn offered agency services for renting and booking luxury villas on the island, posing as a realtor, and received payment in advance for allegedly booked properties.

After receiving advances, the defendant, according to the investigation, stopped getting in touch or did not provide access to the agreed villas, as a result of which clients lost significant amounts of money. Two Russian tourists contacted the police and stated that they had lost a total of about 2 million baht while trying to book villas.

These complaints served as the basis for an inspection and subsequent search of the suspect's home in the Thalang area. During the search, which began at about 6:00 am on August 26, the police seized evidence related to the activities of accepting prepayments and, according to the publications, detained Thanaporn for further proceedings.

According to The Thaiger, this is not an isolated case: in addition to Russian tourists, complaints were received against the defendant from Thai citizens and other foreigners - the total amount of losses claimed by the victims exceeds 5 million baht. The Phuket News pays attention to the details of the appeal of Russian tourists and emphasizes that the scheme consisted of fraudulently providing services for booking "luxury villas" in Phuket, where inflated expectations of safety and convenience often make tourists vulnerable to scams.

The publications do not indicate the exact age or marital status of the detainee, as well as a list of specific villas or property owners involved in the fraud. In addition, the sources do not quote the victims with full names - The Thaiger refers to official police reports and complaints filed by victims.

According to media reports, after the arrest, Tanaporn was taken to the local police station to testify and draw up procedural documents. The specific charges that will be brought, as well as the decision to apply a preventive measure (detention, bail or release on recognizance not to leave) are not disclosed in the sources.

The Thaiger and The Phuket News indicate that the investigation is ongoing, and the police are working to collect additional evidence and information from other victims. What is known about further steps: according to publications, the investigation will continue to interview the applicants and look for possible accomplices or other episodes of fraud related to the same scheme.

The Phuket police must form a final list of charges based on the collected materials and transfer the case to the prosecutor's office if there is enough evidence. ## Profile of the defendant Who: Thanaporn, a Thai citizen, operated in Phuket under the nickname "Yu"; the sources do not indicate age, marital status or other personal data What is wanted / accused: fraud in booking and prepayment for renting luxury villas; Phuket According to investigators, she introduced herself as a real estate agent and took prepayments for allegedly booked villas, after which she stopped getting in touch or did not provide access to the properties.

During the search, evidence related to the acceptance of prepayments was seized, after which the detainee was taken to the police station to testify and draw up procedural documents. Related materials: No related materials found