Following a complaint from Football Association Premier League Ltd (FAPL), the Department of Special Investigated and on May 10 arrested Daryl William Lloyd, 39, Willion John Robinson, 35, and Supattra Raksasat, 33.

The arrests were only announced on Tuesday.

DSI deputy chief Pol Maj Suriya Singhakol said the agency raided five locations and had initially planned to arrest three foreigners and a Thai after receiving the complaint from FAPL representative Piraya Thammasujarit. The third foreigner was not arrested and has not been named.

Piraya had asked the DSI to investigate the Thailand-based website 365sport.tv for illegally providing an IPTV service by which Premier League matches could be streamed and viewed live.

Suriya said the website was suspected of hosting five others – Thaiexpat.tv, Hkexpat.tv, Inoexpat.tv, Vietexpat.tv and Euroexpat.tv.

He said the suspects have been charged with violating the Computer Crime Act and Intellectual Property Rights Act and causing in excess of Bt100 million worth of damages to FAPL, which owns the Premier League broadcast rights in Thailand.

The three are accused of selling IPTV set-top boxes to clients in Thailand and several European and other Asian nations and collecting monthly fees for the Internet broadcasts.

DSI officers raided a house in Nonthaburi’s Mueang district, a house in Samut Prakan’s Bangplee district and three locations in Bangkok – a condo residence in Huay Kwang, Kertch Co in Klong Toei and ProImage Co in Bang Rak.

Nine computer servers, 49 set-top boxes and three mobile phones were seized in those raids.

Suriya said the two Britons have been released on bail.