On Wednesday, the hacker suspected of obtaining and selling practically every Thai citizen’s personal data surrendered to authorities after hiding for weeks to evade arrest.
Sgt. Maj. Khemarat Boonchuay came at the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau this morning, where he and his wife were being questioned by police at the time of publication. According to the police, the suspect remained mute.
Khemarat, a soldier in the army’s transportation department, was identified by authorities as the hacker behind the alias 9Near who threatened to release personal information of 55 million Thai civilians alleged to have been taken from the government’s Mor Prom immunization program.
It is unknown how the hacker gained access to the database or what his motivations were. Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, minister of digital economy, dismissed allegations that the suspect was politically motivated, saying he was only looking for fame.
“He is not involved in politics or the election, but some political groups are using this incident to discredit him,” Chaiwut explained. “We know the suspect did not sell or use the data, but he simply posted it on social media to generate some buzz.” Khemarat was arrested earlier this month on charges of violating the Computer Crime Act and the Personal Data Protection Act.
Police previously failed to capture the suspect when he was identified as the hacker, and a warrant for his arrest was issued on April 2. The culprit could not be found, according to the cybercrime police commander, because his phone was turned off.
“We issued a letter summoning the suspect to the suspect’s agency, but they said the suspect could not be reached because his phone was switched off,” Pol. Lt. Gen. Worawat Watnakornbancha said Friday. “His wife was nowhere to be found either.”
The army also appeared to distance itself from the hacker, claiming he was acting in his personal capacity. After an arrest warrant was issued for the suspect, he was removed from active duty.
“This is personal wrongdoing and has nothing to do with his military service,” army spokesman Sirichan Ngathong said on Sunday. “He is a driver and is not involved in IT duties.”
