A 30-year-old Chinese woman, identified by her surname Xie, has been arrested in Thailand after evading capture for nearly two years on charges of defrauding over 1.5 million yuan (approximately Rs 1.77 crore). Xie, who allegedly underwent plastic surgery to change her appearance, was wanted for orchestrating a scheme promising airline jobs to victims in exchange for large payments. 

Thai Immigration Police detained her following a tip-off from Bangkok residents who noticed her frequent face-covering and mask-wearing, raising suspicions of illegal immigration, the South China Morning Post reported. 

On October 7, police arrested Xie as she came down from her apartment to collect a food delivery. She failed to present a valid passport and was found to have overstayed her 15-day visa-on-arrival by over 650 days, having entered Thailand in late 2022.

Xie’s criminal activities reportedly began nearly a decade ago. Between 2016 and 2019, she allegedly conned at least six people out of 1.52 million yuan by fabricating ties with major airlines and offering job placements to aspiring flight attendants. Among her victims was her cousin, whom she convinced to lend her 52,000 yuan (Rs 6.13 lakh) under the pretence of helping a friend buy a watch in Japan. Xie promised a reward for the favour, but her cousin only recovered a small part of the loan and later discovered that Xie’s flight attendant persona was a fabrication.

Thai authorities revealed that Xie had an Interpol Blue Notice, indicating her status as an international fugitive. Chinese authorities requested this notice after tracking her fraudulent activities back to 2014, according to the South China Morning Post.

Reports suggest Xie may have used some of her illicit gains to fund plastic surgery in an attempt to evade arrest. The Thai Immigration Bureau Division has confirmed that Xie will be penalized under Thai law for visa violations before being deported to China. Her case has drawn parallels to that of Lao Rongzhi, a notorious Chinese fugitive who was apprehended in 2019 after eluding capture for 20 years through aliases and multiple surgeries.