Police raided an apartment to arrest a suspected Chinese boiler room scammer in Thailand.

The Metropolitan Police Bureau descended on two condominiums and detained the teenage suspect Minghong Tan, 19, and his girlfriend over alleged links to call centre scams in Bangkok on December 25.

Officers seized eight SIM boxes, two internet routers, one switching hub, one security camera, and one power supply. They also found lease contracts for 10 other rooms.

Police Major General Theeradej Thamsuthee, chief of investigation at the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said: 'The suspect entered Thailand from China on a student visa. He has denied any involvement in the scam gang and claimed he was just a broker who helped other Chinese nationals find and rent rooms.'

The officer added that Minghong had rented two rooms at the two condominiums: one to store the SIM boxes and other electronic equipment, and another that served as a base of operations for the call centre gang.

Deputy National Police Chief Police General Thatchai Pitaneelaboot said the arrest came as police probed more than 100 online reports from alleged scam victims.

The police chief said that the suspects had used SIM boxes with signals routed from Singapore to make detection more difficult.

He added: 'The suspect and his girlfriend were arrested for allegedly managing the equipment after staying in Thailand for three months. They will also be charged with illegally possessing or bringing communication devices into Thailand, setting up a communication radio station without permission, and illegally using radio frequencies.'

The couple have denied the charges, but police said they were confident in the charges against them.

Minghong and his girlfriend were handed over to the inquiry officer at Hua Mak Police Station for further legal action.

The raids come amid a crackdown on Chinese-run scam operations in Thailand.