Two Thai men were arrested for allegedly working as money mules for a Chinese cybercrime boss.

Yang, 19, and Warakorn, 18, reportedly withdrew funds for a fraud gang that duped victims into investing in a fake stock trading platform.

The group was said to have offered high returns for a small investment before locking investors out of their funds.

Police opened an investigation when an elderly investor reported in October that the platform suddenly denied access to her money worth more than 200,000 THB (4,729 GBP). She said she initially received her profits as promised, but her account was frozen following a large deposit.

Officers traced the fraudulent transactions to a mule account linked to 10 other cases, with total damages exceeding 10 million baht (236,459 GBP).

Cops arranged a sting operation and arrested the Thai suspects, who were caught withdrawing from ATMs in Bangkok.

In a press conference on November 21, Police Colonel Anucha Srisamrong, superintendent 2 of the Cyber Crime Investigation Division 2, said: 'Arrest warrants were issued by the Criminal Court on charges of assisting in public fraud, importing forged computer data in a manner likely to cause damage to the public, and allowing another person to use bank accounts not for themselves while knowing they would be used for criminal activity.'

Thawachwong allegedly confessed that he received orders from a Chinese boss, who provided the necessary details for each withdrawal.

Upon being notified through WeChat, Thawachwong said he would rush to an ATM to withdraw the money within minutes - before the transaction could be frozen.

He claimed he received a one per cent commission per withdrawal, and was given rotating hotel accommodations and motorcycle rentals to avoid authorities.

The other suspect, Warakorn, admitted lending his bank account to Thawachwong, whom he met through their shared cannabis use, fully aware it would be used for scams.

(1 GBP = 42.29 THB)