Immigration police have arrested a Chinese fugitive wanted over an embezzlement case worth 2.4 billion yuan (about 11 billion baht).
Police apprehended Zhang Wei, a Chinese man wanted in China for financial fraud, at a hotel in the Ratchaprasong area of Bangkok on Saturday, Pol Lt Gen Panumas Boonyaluck, commander of the Immigration Bureau, revealed on Sunday.
Mr Zhang was accused of colluding with others to embezzle money from a major construction company in the northeastern province of Shandong in 2024. He then fled to Bangkok, using a fake passport of the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, under the name "Tu Nan".
An initial investigation found that the suspect’s visa had expired on March 12, but no extension request was filed. Police later discovered that Mr Zhang had checked in at a luxury hotel in Ratchaprasong and conducted surveillance.
When approached by officers for an identity check, Mr Zhang spoke in Chinese, insisting that he was not Chinese but a citizen of Vanuatu. He claimed that his passport had been lost and presented to police a photograph of his supposed Vanuatu passport as proof of his identity.
Pol Lt Gen Panumas said police took Mr Zhang into custody after biometric identity checks confirmed his identity as the wanted Chinese fugitive.