Thai authorities have detained an individual in Bangkok believed to have fled China to evade arrest.
Identified only as “Ming,” the suspect, aged 42, was apprehended in Bangkok for working illegally and overstaying his visa, as reported by the Bangkok Post.
Authorities captured the individual in the lobby of a hotel in the Chatuchak district, following a tip-off received by the Thai Immigration Bureau regarding a foreign national, suspected to be of Chinese origin, engaged in illegal work and residency in Bangkok.
According to immigration police, Ming was organizing private tours for Chinese tourists in the city and was caught while assisting clients with hotel check-ins in the area. It was believed that he was residing in a condominium in the Ramkhamhaeng area.
Upon inspection of his documents, it was discovered that his visa had expired on 3 February.
Ming is reportedly wanted for fraudulent activities in China dating back to January of the previous year. Chinese authorities allege that he posed as a sales manager for a wine company, deceiving retailers by offering to sell them rare wines at a discounted rate of 10%. However, despite receiving payment, the promised wine was never delivered to the retailers, resulting in losses totaling approximately CNY2 million (£216,559), according to immigration officers.
In a related development, advancements in technology have led to the creation of an AI tool capable of detecting wine fraud by analyzing compounds present in the wine, thereby potentially curbing the prevalence of counterfeit wines in the market.
