A Singaporean man, with a Thai/Italian model girlfriend, suspected of being the ‘mastermind’ of a massive Ponzi scheme in Thailand, was arrested at Phuket Airport yesterday.
Mr. Daryl Cai Yonghui was nabbed at the Phuket Airport yesterday after two months of travelling freely around Thailand, including appearing on Thai TV talk program with his model girlfriend, despite having an arrest warrant issued back in October last year.
He narrowly escaped last Saturday when DSI officials converged on his Bangkok condo. Yonghui had already left for Phuket.
After being summoned, he was due to meet with officials when he flew back to Singapore in October last year before returning to Thailand in December without being arrested at the airport on his return. Thai social media went into meltdown about his uninterrupted return to Thailand, even after there was already an arrest warrant issued.
The arrest warrant was issued over his alleged connections with the high-profile Forex 3D scam, which has defrauded thousands of mostly Thai investors of up to 20 billion baht.
The 32 year old was wanted for fraud and violating Thailand’s Computer Crime Act, with police naming him as a “mastermind” of the investment pyramid scheme. The Ponzi scheme offered unrealistic returns from their investments in the global foreign currency exchange markets.
More than 20 people have already been arrested over the Ponzi scheme that has been marketed and in operation for more than 4 years in Thailand. Another foreigner, Hungarian national Eddy Polgari, is still being sought by police for his involvement in the scheme.
Both Polar and Yonghui are alleged to be “close associates” of the Forex 3D founder Apirak Kothi. Apirak was arrested in January 2022 and has been charged with fraud.
SOURCE: Coconuts.co | Bangkok Post
