BANGKOK, May 24 — Thai police arrested a man carrying a fake Malaysian passport and US$500,000 (RM2.1 million) at the Suvarnabhumi Airport today.

Deputy commander of the Immigration Police Bureau’s Division, Pol Col Roengron Rimphadee, said the fake passport was detected by the biometric facial recognition system.

He said the man was about to board a Philippines Airlines flight to the Philippines when he was nabbed. 

“The device found his face did not match the passport chip.

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“However, the suspect insisted that he was the same man. Later, we found out he was carrying a fake passport,” he said in a statement.

He said immigration officers found the money in his luggage.

“We are trying to establish whether there are other suspects involved in the passport fraud,” he said. 

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Records show that the man has crossed the Thailand-Myanmar borders several times with the fake passport.

However, the immigration authorities did not reveal his nationality.

He has been detained for further investigation. — Bernama