A raid on an illegal gambling den in Chatuchak district in which 65 gamblers were apprehended, has led to the transfer of five senior officers from the Phahon Yothin police station in Bangkok to inactive posts, according to the Bangkok Post.
Last week Thursday in Thailand‘s capital city, the commander of Division 2 of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Pol Maj Gen Panumas Boonyalak, reportedly signed the order for the transfer of the five officers to the division’s operations centre for a period of 30 days pending an investigation.
The five officers transferred included, Pol Col Narat Moonlasartsathorn, the chief of Phahon Yothin police station; acting deputy chief responsible for crime suppression, Pol Lt Col Nikhom Sornlek; Pol Lt Col Khomsan Bodikan, the deputy chief responsible for investigation; investigating chief, Pol Maj Chalakorn Pandaeng; and Pol Capt Khanchit Khongsuwan, the acting crime suppression chief, according to the report.
The transfers were reportedly a result of a military-led team’s raid on a commercial building at Soi Ratchadapisek 36, also known as Soi Sue Yai, in the Chankasem area of Chatuchak district. During the raid, 65 individuals were found to be gambling at the illegal facility on Wednesday, April 5, according to local media reports.
Of the 65 gamblers, 20 were women and 45 were men, with 21 of the total being foreigners. Cash and gambling equipment worth nearly 200,000 baht (approximately $5,778 USD) were reportedly seized during the gambling bust.
Other than betting on horse races or the government-sponsored Thai lottery, gambling is prohibited in Thailand. While the prohibition dates back to the Gambling Act 1935, illegal gambling in casinos, along with other forms of gambling, still exist in Bangkok and some provincial towns.
Toward the latter part of last year, there were reports indicating that the Southeast Asian country could reconsider its stance on the casino industry after King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who ruled Thailand for the last 70 years, passed away on October 13, 2016.