Bangkok police denied allegations that officers extorted money from a Thai-Hong Kong woman who filed a complaint after losing tens of millions of baht in a fortune-telling scam.
The woman, 47 year old Phetcharin, sought assistance from the Saimai Survive foundation after she lost money to a female fortune teller and later paid additional funds to people she believed were involved in handling her case.
According to Phetcharin, she first contacted the fortune teller after discovering that her husband had been unfaithful. She said the woman advised her to participate in various rituals and purchase amulets, leading to payments over a period of more than four years.
Phetcharin later suspected that she had been deceived, so she travelled to Thailand to file a police complaint. Thai news outlets reported the amount of the loss differently, stating figures between 30 and 40 million baht.
The woman further alleged that she was asked to pay more than 100,000 baht for the investigation and legal expenses. She said she complied with the requests but saw no progress in the case, prompting her to seek help from Saimai Survive.
Saimai Survive founder Ekkaphop Luangprasert said he believed the case was relatively straightforward because Phetcharin had records of financial transactions that could be examined by investigators and traced to the alleged recipient.
Ekkaphop said he would follow up with officers at Prawet Police Station regarding the progress of the case. He also called on those accused of requesting money from Phetcharin to provide clarification.
However, Prawet Police Station Superintendent Thotsaphon Amphaiphiphatkun denied allegations that police officers were involved in extorting money from the woman.
Speaking to KhaoSod, Thotsaphon said the suspects who requested money from Phetcharin were not police officers.
According to Thotsaphon, Phetcharin travelled to Thailand to report the alleged fortune-telling scam and met a man identified as Lek, who claimed to be an investigator from Hua Mak Police Station.
Police said Lek and another man, identified as Non, who presented himself as a police captain, offered to assist with the case and accompanied Phetcharin to Prawet Police Station to file a complaint.
Thotsaphon said officers investigated the complaint in accordance with legal procedures and were unaware of the extortion until Phetcharin contacted the station in March.
Apart from denying the extortion allegations, police have not publicly disclosed further details about the investigation into the alleged fortune-telling scam or the identity of the fortune teller named in the complaint.
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