Rita Odafe
A Thai individual named Orathai was apprehended at Hat Yai International Airport due to her suspected involvement with a Nigerian romance scam syndicate and her role in laundering money from a substantial fraud case amounting to 6.223 billion baht.
The 52-year-old was detained by immigration officers around 3:25 PM on Saturday, February 1, 2025, immediately upon her arrival from Malaysia.
She had evaded capture since May 7, 2020, when a warrant was issued against her for her participation in an international criminal operation related to money laundering and facilitating illegal activities.
Authorities traced her movements to Malaysia, where she had been employed, ultimately leading to her capture as she returned.
She stated to the police that her visit to Thailand was solely to see her children.
Investigators disclosed that Orathai’s bank accounts were used to funnel 6.223 billion baht, stolen from a victim of a romance scam known as Chamanan (surname omitted), a former financial manager.
Chamanan fell victim to a scam orchestrated by an individual posing as an American soldier stationed in Afghanistan, prompting her to misappropriate funds from her employer’s account and transfer them to Orathai’s accounts.
Orathai maintained that she was oblivious to the scam and claimed to be a victim of deception herself. She recounted her encounter with a Nigerian man in 2017 at a massage parlor in Malaysia.
He convinced her to establish bank accounts for an alleged financial venture, compensating her with 6,500 baht for each account.
She further asserted that he managed all activities related to the accounts.
Investigators are actively pursuing additional leads to unravel the broader transnational scam operation.
