Chinese man arrested with Starlink transmitters 'used by call centre gangs' in Thailand

A Chinese man was arrested with 10 Starlink internet transmitters believed to be used by call centre scammers in Thailand.

Cao, 25, was reportedly keeping the electronic devices from Elon Musk's firm in his room in Bangkok, where he was detained by Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECD) officers on September 26.

The arrest came amid 'Operation Burning the Thief's Bridge' in which the Royal Thai Police, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission (NBTC), and mobile phone operators were cracking down on suspected call centre fraudsters in the country.

Police Captain Saranyapong Jangpanasin who led the ECD raid said: 'The suspect was charged with concealing, selling goods imported into the Kingdom without going through customs procedures.'

He added the ECD learned that the Starlink parcels were destined for Cao's room before being distributed to other destinations, making them more difficult to track down.

The Chinese man has denied the accusations and said he entered Thailand on a tourist visa.

He claimed that his brother-in-law, Ma, ran an international parcel receipt and delivery service in Phuket, and that he was tasked to manage the shop. He said he was not informed who would receive the parcels or where they would be delivered.

Officials said they did not believe Cao. He was handed over to the Technology Crime Suppression Division 2 for further legal proceedings.