Singaporean man linked to international scam syndicate caught hiding in Myanmar
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He is believed to have been part of an online scam and gambling syndicate operating out of Shwe Kokko, a town in the south-east of Myanmar.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- A Singaporean man was arrested in Myanmar on Nov 23, suspected of links to an international online scam and gambling syndicate based in Shwe Kokko.
- The arrest was part of a larger clampdown on scam operations, with over 2,000 foreigners detained and almost 250 buildings demolished.
- Shwe Kokko, known for scam activity, is said to have been developed by a Chinese gambling kingpin into a sprawling town. He has since been deported to China.
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SINGAPORE - A Singaporean man who is allegedly connected to an international scam syndicate in Myanmar was caught there on Nov 23.
He is believed to have been part of an online scam and gambling syndicate operating out of Shwe Kokko, a town in the south-east of Myanmar.
The Straits Times understands he has not been linked to the Singapore gang that ran a major scam operation in Phnom Penh
The Global New Light of Myanmar, a government-owned newspaper published by the Ministry of Information in Yangon, reported on Nov 24 that the man is the only Singaporean among the 156 foreign nationals arrested in a raid on Nov 23.
Those arrested had been hiding after committing offences that targeted neighbouring countries, including Thailand, it said.
Responding to queries from ST, a spokesman for the Singapore Police Force said it is aware of the report and is in contact with the Myanmar authorities to render assistance.
The others arrested included 65 Chinese, 20 Indians, 13 Kenyans, eight Vietnamese, eight Burundians, seven Filipinos, six Indonesians, six Ugandans, five Thais, four Ethiopians, three Nigerians, two Rwandans, a Nepali, a Zimbabwean, a Kazakh, a Uzbek, a Beninese, a Togolese and a Malaysian.
Shwe Kokko and the wider Myawaddy area are known hubs of scam activity.
It sits on the border with Thailand’s Mae Sot, which is known to be a key location for human trafficking syndicates.
The Myanmar authorities have been conducting raids on their side of the border since Nov 18
As at Nov 27, almost 250 buildings used for scam operations have been demolished there, and over 2,000 foreigners have been detained.
Over 3,000 computers and 21,000 mobile phones have been seized and destroyed as part of the raids.
Gambling kingpin She Zhijiang, a 43-year-old Chinese national who also holds a Cambodian passport, has been said to have developed Shwe Kokko into a sprawling town of scam compounds.
He was arrested in Thailand in 2022 and was deported to China
He will be standing trial in China for operating illegal casinos and gambling websites, as well as using Myanmar as a base for illegal operations and to launder money.
On Oct 29, the Singapore police said warrants of arrest were issued against 27 Singaporeans and seven Malaysians suspected of being involved in a scam ring operating in Cambodia.
Two Singaporeans from the group were deported from Cambodia and Thailand and charged here on Nov 17
Victims in Singapore have lost about $4 billion to scams since 2020.
Laws were recently passed here to cane scammers
