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Published on February 20, 2008

The heaviest penalty the three Special Branch officers - Pol Captain Karin Thongmanokoon, Pol Sergeant Montree Thawarat and Pol Corporal Chaiwat Patchachai - may face was brief detention or being placed on guard duty. police spokesman Pongsapat Pongcharoen said yesterday.

He did not give details about the three police "lying to their superiors", or explain why they had been implicated in the first place, nor why they were no longer subject to criminal prosecution.

"The Special Branch will internally deal with the three officers, basing the punishment criteria on disciplinary action, not criminal prosecution," he said.

Details of all 638 cars lost through the scam operations of Yufuku Decorate and Paradise Car Rent have been placed on the Royal Thai Police website at www.royalthaipolice.go.th.

Twelve telephone numbers - 02-2507860-7 and 02-2051840-2 - had been opened around the clock for people who want to submit queries about their cars or volunteer information about lost vehicles.

The number of victims preyed have now reached 468, with the missing luxury and standard cars numbering 638, said chief investigator Pol Maj General Juti Thammanowanich, citing information from complaints lodged with four Bangkok police stations.

Pongsapat said complaints by victims lodged with police outside Bangkok involved at least another 300 missing vehicles.

There were no arrest warrants obtained for 10 policemen suspected of involvement with either or both scam rackets as of yesterday - as earlier news reports suggested.

Nong Khai police had informed Min Buri police in Bangkok yesterday they had discovered four vehicles at a local garage in Muang district. More than 40 licence plates were seized from the garage and a woman arrested.

The steering wheels in the four vehicles had been moved to the left side, the usual procedure in stolen vehicles set to be smuggled into two neighbouring countries.

A large number of victims are now in the process of submitting a request to the Commerce Ministry and to the Consumers Board Protection asking finance companies to show leniency for the instalments they were committed to repaying.

The Nation