Former bank employee arrested for B53m fraud

A 58-year-old former bank employee has been arrested for allegedly using customers’ documents without their consent to open investment fund accounts and obtain ATM cards, before misappropriating more than 53 million baht over 13 years.

Crime Suppression Division (CSD) police apprehended Ms Rungratchanee, 58, at a house in tambon Bang Sithong of Bang Kruai district in Nonthaburi on Friday. The surname of the suspect was not disclosed.

The woman was wanted under an arrest warrant issued by the South Bangkok Criminal Court on charges of theft, forgery of documents and use of forged documents.

Investigators said Ms Rungratchanee exploited the trust placed in her as an investment adviser at a bank to obtain important documents belonging to 13 customers. She then used them without authorisation to open investment fund accounts and apply for ATM cards.

Customers’ funds were transferred to conduct investment fund transactions and the proceeds were then pocketed for the woman’s personal use, police said. Total losses of 53.57 million baht were recorded from 2012 to 2025.

The bank, which was not named, filed a police complaint after it detected irregularities. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) revoked the woman’s licence and banned her from working in the capital market and securities business for 10 years.

During initial questioning, the suspect denied all charges. She reportedly claimed that her family had faced financial difficulties following the 2011 floods, placing her, as the family’s main breadwinner, under pressure.

She was handed over to CSD investigators for legal proceedings.