In 2022, she launched a forex investment scheme, promising followers high returns – 25 per cent for three-month contracts, 30 per cent for six months, and 35 per cent for 12 months. She assured them monthly payouts.
However, when returns failed to materialise, Khongchak reportedly blamed a trading error and urged her followers not to report her, claiming police involvement would prevent her from repaying them.
In July that year, Khongchak, her mother, and their secretary, Nichaphat Rattanukrom, fled. In August, victims, led by lawyer Phaisal Ruangrit, filed complaints, accusing her of exploiting her popularity to lure investors with promises of quick returns.
Police Lieutenant General Thawatchai Piyaneelabut told the Bangkok Post that the trio crossed into Malaysia from southern Thailand before entering Indonesia illegally by sea, where they disguised themselves as locals to evade multiple Thai warrants.
Khongchak reportedly attempted to obtain an Indonesian passport, but immigration officers detected her accent and asked her to sing Indonesia’s national anthem and recite the constitution. When she failed, her true identity was exposed.
Khongchak and her mother were arrested in Indonesia’s Riau province for illegal entry, while Rattanukrom remains at large. The DSI has seized assets worth 16 million baht (US$470,000) and is tracing the money trail to recover more funds, according to the Royal Thai Police.
