Indian man, 27 Thai women arrested in fake marriage scam

The Thai police have arrested an Indian man and 27 Thai women in connection with a fake-marriage registration scam that enabled Indians to get residential visas in the country.

The Indian man, Wikrom Layerhi, was arrested on charge of being a broker to arrange for Thai women to register fake marriages with Indian nationals, the National daily cited Lt. Gen. Surachate Hakpal, Immigration Bureau Chief and Deputy Head of the Technology Crime Suppression Centre, as saying on Monday.

Surachate said that the arrested women were hired for 8,000 to 10,000 bahts each, adding that these women never stayed with the Indians with whom they had registered their marriages.

One of the women was 70 years old and had a family, including children, Surachate said.

Police officials said they checked more than 8,000 Indians living in Thailand and found that 127 of them unlawfully obtained residential visas, which have been revoked.

Thirty-six of the 127 men had been deported, according to authorities.