Russian fraud fugitive on Interpol list arrested in Phuket
Police arrested a Russian national wanted under an Interpol warrant yesterday, January 29, after locating him hiding in the city centre of Phuket.
Officers from the Phuket Provincial Immigration Office said they received an alert from the Foreign Affairs Division regarding the suspect, whose name was not disclosed. The Russian man was listed on an Interpol warrant after fleeing his home country and entering Thailand to evade prosecution.
According to immigration police, the suspect is a construction contractor accused of colluding on a construction project, an offence that reportedly caused financial damage exceeding 100 million baht.
After receiving the alert, officers launched an investigation to trace his whereabouts and eventually identified an accommodation where he was staying in central Phuket.
Police placed patrol units on heightened alert and carried out close surveillance until the suspect was positively identified and taken into custody yesterday. Authorities confirmed that his visa was revoked, and he will be deported to Russia to face legal proceedings.
The arrest is the latest in a series of operations targeting foreign fugitives wanted on Interpol notices across Thailand.
Earlier this month, another Russian national was arrested at a luxury resort on Koh Samui after being accused of extorting nearly 400,000 baht from a car dealership chief executive in Russia.
Last month, an Uzbek woman was arrested in Pattaya under an Interpol Red Notice for human trafficking, after allegedly luring women to Thailand with promises of high-paying jobs before forcing them into prostitution.
Authorities also apprehended a Chinese scam suspect in Bangkok and a Kazakh fraud suspect in Phuket during the same period.
In November last year, a Swedish national wanted on an Interpol Red Notice for a major arson attack in his home country was arrested in Pattaya after allegedly entering Thailand using a fake German identity.
Immigration police reiterated that Thailand will continue cooperating with international law enforcement agencies to track down and deport fugitives hiding in the country.