Chinese fugitive arrested in Bangkok for embezzlement

Immigration police in Bangkok have arrested a Chinese man wanted for a major embezzlement case. The man, identified as Zhang Wei, is accused of defrauding a construction company in China of 2.4 billion yuan, roughly 11 billion baht. Zhang Wei was apprehended at a hotel in the Ratchaprasong area on Saturday. He had fled to Thailand after the alleged crime in 2024 and was using a fake passport from Vanuatu under the name "Tu Nan." Authorities discovered that Zhang's visa had expired on March 12, and he had not applied for an extension. While being monitored at the hotel, Zhang claimed he was not Chinese and argued that he was a citizen of Vanuatu, saying his passport was lost. However, after biometric checks, police confirmed his true identity. Zhang Wei is now in custody and facing extradition to China.