Police raid villa in Bang Lamung, arrest 25 Indian suspects

Immigration and Bang Lamung district police officers rounded up 25 Indian nationals in a raid yesterday on a villa in Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri, which was allegedly being used to house an illegal online gambling operation targeting Indian customers.

Police seized more than 80 computers and mobile phones from the premises, located in Soi Nong Mai Kaen in Nong Prue sub-district. The villa was heavily guarded, and the car park had been modified and fully covered with canvas, police said, adding that none of the workers were allowed to leave the property.

Police said most of the Indians had arrived in Thailand on tourist visas, and that the online gambling operation ran three websites, with an annual turnover estimated at about five million rupees, or 700 million baht.

All those arrested have been taken to Nong Prue Police Station and detained on charges of working illegally without a permit.