Deputy police chief Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn’s house was raided by cyber police this morning as part of a nationwide operation to shut down online gambling networks, according to a search warrant issued by Royal Thai Police.
The 52-year-old top cop believes the search warrant, part of an cyber police operation called Big Cleaning Day, was executed due to his prior cases involving influential figures and police involved in gambling websites. He claims he has been wrongfully targeted and says the warrant is due to internal conflicts within the Royal Thai Police
Big Joke, who is currently one of four police top dogs considered for the position of national police chief of the Royal Thai Police, said during a press conference that those who filed the search warrant had deceived the court in an effort to ruin his reputation.
“I believe that those who applied to the court for the warrant deceived the court,” Surachate said. The search warrant police used to raid his house, as well five other houses belonging to his associates, mentioned only the number of the house and did not identify Big Joke as the owner. Big Joke claims cyber police did not know he was the owner of the house.
Cyber police searched Big Joke’s house on Soi Vibhavadi 60 after they claimed to have found evidence linking him to several gambling websites as part of the Big Cleaning Day operation. The search warrants at the five other houses in the area belonged to Big Joke’s subordinates, who are also implicated.
It has been reported that the houses belonging to his associates were bought by Big Joke himself.
Similar raids were conducted at 30 spots in six provinces, namely Phetchaburi, Samut Prakan, Bangkok, Udon Thani, and Saraburi.
Additionally, police arrested eight officers connected to the gambling websites, and Big Joke acknowledges that at least six are his associates and subordinates. Eight other suspects have yet to be found.
Big Joke maintains that he will try to prove their innocence. If they were found guilty, he says, they will be punished under the law.
When police arrived to search Big Joke’s home, the top cop was seen coming out wearing only a white shirt and boxers. He refused to let police in until cyber police commissioner Voravat Watnakhonbancha arrived and permitted his home to be searched.
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Voravat said the investigation into online gambling found that suspects were living in residences bought by Big Joke.
Police did not find any incriminating evidence, and Big Joke maintains he has not engaged in any illegal activity or taken any money from gambling websites. He told reporters that he has always worked to shut down such operations. When reporters asked if this would ruin his candidacy for top police position, he maintained he was not a candidate.
Since February Big Joke has launched an all-out crackdown on gambling operations across the city including a nationwide arrest of those linked to the Macau888 gambling website. Several police officers were involved in these websites and were promptly arrested
Pol Gen Surachate may be considered for the top national police chief position when current chief Damrongsak Kittiprapas’ term comes to a close by the end of this month.
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