UPDATE: Phuket police say Russian cash-withdrawal network used QR-code ATM transactions tied to online scam accounts

Police in Phuket said a group of Russian nationals under investigation in a cash-withdrawal case allegedly used cardless ATM transactions via QR codes sent by controllers, as authorities widened an inquiry into money linked to online scam mule accounts.

Phuket Governor Chotinrin Kerdsom and Phuket Provincial Police commander Pol Maj Gen Sinlert Sukhum announced the results of the operation after officers raided three properties early on July 8 in a joint action involving the Phuket Provincial Police Investigation Division, Phuket Immigration and the Tourist Police.

Police said the raids followed intelligence from Thailand’s Anti-Online Scam Centre, or ACSC, and a broader investigation by Provincial Police Region 8 and Phuket police. Investigators said the group repeatedly withdrew cash from ATMs across Phuket between April and June in an apparent effort to obscure the money trail in technology-crime cases.

According to police, the withdrawn funds were linked to Thai mule accounts that had received transfers from victims of call-center gangs and other online fraud schemes. Investigators said one victim tied to the money trail was K Group Co., Ltd. in Bangkok, and that the case began with tracing the company’s financial route before transfers were found to have spread to mule accounts in several parts of Thailand, including Phuket.

After obtaining search and arrest warrants from Phuket Provincial Court, officers searched properties in Wichit, Chalong and Cherng Talay.

At the Wichit property, police arrested 26-year-old Russian national Ilia Kutaisov under a court-issued warrant. Officers said they seized 638,700 baht in cash and other evidence before transferring him to Wichit Police for legal proceedings.

At the second property, in Chalong, officers found another Russian national, Egor Stelmakh, whom police said remains under investigation for alleged links to the network. Authorities said they seized baht and U.S. dollar cash there valued at about 4,801,363 baht. Police said Phuket immigration had already revoked Stelmakh’s permission to stay in Thailand and that investigators were gathering evidence to seek a court arrest warrant for him.

A third search at a property in Cherng Talay did not find the target individual. Police said the suspect was believed to still be hiding in Phuket and was being pursued.

In total, police said they searched three locations, arrested one suspect on an outstanding warrant, detained one foreign national under immigration procedures and seized about 5,440,063 baht in cash, along with other items being checked for links to mule accounts and technology-crime cases.

Investigators said the network had a structured division of roles, including scammers, controllers, Thai mule-account holders and foreign nationals assigned to withdraw cash. Police said this case involved two Thai mule-account holders, one Russian suspect and another Russian suspect still being tracked.

Authorities also said the Russians involved had entered Thailand on one tourist visa and one business visa before allegedly taking on the role of withdrawing cash from Thai mule accounts through QR-code transactions at ATMs and handing the money to controllers in the network.

Police said they were coordinating with the Anti-Money Laundering Office to examine the financial trail and return assets to victims under legal procedures, while continuing to seek additional members of the network and examine links to online fraud cases across Thailand.

Governor Chotinrin said the operation was part of a government policy targeting technology crime and influential foreign groups and was linked to a provincial "90-day operation" running from July 1 to Sept. 30, 2026.

Authorities urged anyone who suspects they were a victim of online fraud, or who has seen suspicious ATM-withdrawal behavior, to report it to a local police station or call the AOC 1441 hotline.