Thai police have arrested six Nigerian nationals during a raid on a luxury condominium in Nonthaburi province. The suspects are accused of running a romance scam network that defrauded victims into transferring money.
According to the Thai media outlet The Nation Thailand on Saturday, the operation, codenamed “Dark Room Crackdown”, was conducted on Thursday at a riverside condominium near Phra Nang Klao Bridge in Bang Kraso, Muang district, following investigations into foreign criminal networks linked to suspicious financial transactions.
Officers searched three rooms under warrants issued by the Nonthaburi Provincial Court, The Nation Thailand reported. “Police seized 18 mobile phones, three laptop computers, and three bank books. Investigators said the devices contained alleged romance-scam chats, scam scripts, and AI-generated profile images,” The Nation Thailand reported.
The suspects, Denis, 23; Ejikeme, 24; Ibekwe, 29; Okorom, 26; Nwosu, 30; and Obielu, 35, were arrested during the raid.
Five of the six were found to have overstayed their visas by periods ranging from 695 to 1,560 days, according to The Nation Thailand. Another media outlet in Thailand, Thai PBS World, reported that police said the suspects were living together in the condominium despite holding student visas, with no evidence of attending classes or regular employment.
“Police said that the six Nigerians entered Thailand on student visas, but none of them went to any college here, nor do they have any jobs, but their bank accounts show substantial deposits,” Thai PBS World reported.
They were initially charged with membership of a secret society and overstaying their permission to remain in Thailand.
Police said further charges related to romance-scam offences may follow after coordination with victims and police stations handling related complaints. The Nation Thailand reported that all six suspects confessed to the initial charges at the point of arrest.
