Crime News
Thailand crime news, breaking reports, investigations, and law enforcement updates—stay informed on drug trafficking, cybercrime, corruption, and public safety developments. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted source for crime news in Thailand.
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Finnish tourist’s stolen AirPods lead to drug bust on Koh Pha Ngan
A stolen pair of wireless earphones, Apple AirPods, helped police on Koh Pha Ngan uncover a large cache of illegal drugs yesterday, January 22, after a Finnish tourist reported a theft at her accommodation. The case began at around 10.15am when a 29 year old Finnish woman sought help from Koh Pha Ngan Tourist Police after discovering her belongings had…
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Young Finnish girl rescued from alleged captivity in Sa Kaeo
An 11 year old Finnish girl was rescued in Sa Kaeo province yesterday, January 22, after she reportedly sent an email to Finnish police claiming she was being held against her will. According to reports, officers from the Sa Kaeo Immigration Bureau, in coordination with representatives from the Finnish Embassy and other Thai agencies, responded to a request for assistance…
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Taiwanese and Thai tourists brawl at Chiang Rai’s White Temple
Taiwanese and Thai tourists were involved in a physical altercation at Wat Rong Khun, commonly known as the White Temple, in Chiang Rai province last week following a dispute over photography regulations at the site. A video showing four tourists fighting on the temple’s well-known “Bridge of Rebirth” quickly went viral on Thai social media. The footage showed two couples…
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Thai police accused of groping 14 year old girl while drunk
A police officer nearing retirement in Phetchabun province paid compensation after he alleged groped a 14 year old Thai girl’s breasts while under the influence of alcohol on Tuesday, January 20. The girl‘s mother shared a video of her heated argument with a police officer on social media platforms and also gave it to several news agencies to seek justice…
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Cha-am cracks down on abandoned buildings to boost tourist safety
Cha-am police launched a late-night operation last night, January 21, to detain a man found living in an abandoned building near a popular beach viewpoint, amid efforts to prevent crimes that could threaten tourist safety in the area. Kaew Kongwong, Cha-am district chief, led the operation alongside police, immigration officers, municipal staff, and local volunteers. The team searched several locations,…
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3 Thai children set homeless on fire and film incident as trophy
Three Thai attackers, aged between nine and 15, set a homeless man on fire by the roadside in the Prawet area of Bangkok and filmed the incident as a trophy. The victim was identified as 51 year old Karn, a homeless man who lives under the Ban Ma Bridge in Prawet. He makes a living by collecting and reselling recyclable…
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Foreign man slammed for flying drone, scaring Khao Yai elephants
Thai netizens condemned a foreign man for ignoring national park regulations and flying a drone near a herd of elephants in Khao Yai National Park, causing the animals to panic and putting both tourists and wildlife at risk. The incident occurred yesterday, January 21, at Tung Kwang Mineral Lick, a popular wildlife viewing area within the national park in Nakhon…
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Iranian man arrested for illegally running pharmacy in Pattaya
Police arrested an Iranian man on Tuesday, January 20, for illegally operating a pharmacy in Pattaya and selling controlled drugs without permission or a pharmacist licence. Officers from Pattaya Tourist Police, Chon Buri Immigration Office, and Chon Buri Provincial Public Health Office launched the operation after receiving complaints from locals, alleging that a foreign man was operating Kattika Pharmacy, located…
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13 foreigners arrested in romance scam crackdown in Nonthaburi
Police arrested 13 foreigners at an accommodation building in Nonthaburi on Monday, January 19, for operating a romance scam network. The suspects included 11 Nigerian men and two Ivorian nationals. The crackdown was launched after a Thai woman filed a complaint with police late last year. She reported to Mueang Nong Khai Police Station that she had transferred more than…
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Hero K9 dog rewarded after quick Hua Hin murder arrest
A police dog and an investigative team in Hua Hin were awarded 30,000 baht yesterday, January 21, after swiftly apprehending a murder suspect linked to the killing of a hotel worker. The reward was presented at Hua Hin Police Station in Prachuap Khiri Khan. Provincial police chief Police Major General Artorn Chinthong and Hua Hin police superintendent Police Colonel Kampanat…
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German thief arrested after trying to return stolen cash to Phuket spa
A German tourist attempted to return stolen cash to a spa in Phuket in an apparent bid to avoid legal consequences, but the spa owner refused to drop the case and called police to have him arrested yesterday, January 20. The incident took place at THAN Spa & Massage, located on Ranong Road in Phuket’s Talat Nuea sub-district. An employee…
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Family of 16 stranded in China after paying 700,000 baht to scam travel agency
A family of 16 fell victim to a travel agency scam, paying 700,000 baht for a fully organised trip to Harbin, China, only to be left to arrange nearly every aspect of the journey themselves after arriving overseas. One of the victims, Chonchanok, shared details of the ordeal on her Facebook account on Saturday, January 17, explaining that she booked…
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Transgender woman slashed in attack on Pattaya Beach
A transgender woman was seriously injured this morning, January 21, after being attacked by an unidentified man with a broken glass bottle on Pattaya Beach. The incident occurred at around 1.50am and was later reported to Pattaya City Police. Officers from Pattaya Police Station arrived at the scene alongside rescue workers from the Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Foundation, and found a…
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CIB nabs 20 year old man in Bangkok for major mule account fraud
A young man was arrested yesterday, January 20, in Bangkok after police linked him to a mule account scam involving more than 2.3 million baht in losses, with the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) carrying out the arrest. The suspect, identified as 20 year old Arthit, was wanted under an arrest warrant issued by the Nong Khai Provincial Court on August…
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Romance scam leaves Thai woman in debt while fake lover lives luxurious
A Thai woman lost around 800,000 baht to a man she met on a dating application, only to later discover that he married another woman and was living a luxurious lifestyle. The victim, identified only as Ploy, travelled from Khon Kaen to Nonthaburi to seek legal assistance from lawyer Ronnarong Kaewphet in Bangkok after realising she was deceived. Ploy explained that…
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German man wanted for stealing 2,000 baht from Phuket spa
A foreign man, reportedly a German national, remains at large after stealing 2,000 baht in cash from a spa in Phuket yesterday, January 20. The theft occurred at around 5pm at a spa located on Ranong Road in the Talat Nuea sub-district. The suspect arrived with two companions, but was seen in the CCTV footage committing the crime alone. In…
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Japanese tourist quits Bangkok trip after airport taxi rip-off
A Japanese tourist said he booked a return flight home immediately after being overcharged nearly 2,000 baht by a Thai taxi driver at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok. The Japanese man shared his disappointment on his X account, @musasino231, at 3.52am on Sunday, January 18, writing that he was “ripped off by a taxi at Suvarnabhumi Airport.” According to the…
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CCIB warns public of tax refund email scam in Thailand
Thai cyber police have issued a warning after a rise in fraudulent tax refund emails was reported this week, with both locals and foreigners being targeted during the annual tax filing season, which runs until March 31. The Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) revealed that scammers are posing as government agencies, including the Revenue Department and eForm Thai, in an…
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Hua Hin hotel receptionist’s boyfriend witnesses murder via video call
The boyfriend of a hotel receptionist murdered during a night shift in Hua Hin revealed that he witnessed the brutal attack live through a video call. The victim, 35 year old Wirin, was beaten to death during a robbery at her workplace, a hotel in Soi Hua Hin 88/1, at around 3.15am on Monday, January 19. The suspect, 36 year old…
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Thai man arrested in murder and robbery of Hua Hin hotel receptionist
Hua Hin police officers arrested the murderer who killed and robbed a hotel receptionist, after tracking him down near a railway line around five kilometres from the crime scene. The brutal killing was reported at around 3.15am yesterday, January 19, at Best LD Hotel, located in Soi Hua Hin 88/1. The victim, 35 year old Wirin, was working as a…
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DJ-photographer held over sexual assault claims from models and DJs
Officers from the Investigation Division of the Metropolitan Police Bureau (IDMB) arrested a DJ and photographer in Ayutthaya this afternoon, January 20, following complaints from five models, female DJs, and an ex-girlfriend who accused him of sexual assault and physical abuse. The case came to public attention after the victims appeared on the Channel 3 news programme Hone Krasae yesterday,…
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Buriram election under scrutiny after unpaid vote-buying complaint
A Thai woman sparked widespread backlash and an official investigation after she publicly complained that a sub-district chief candidate in Buriram province failed to pay her the promised 500 baht for her vote in the recent local election. Sub-district chief elections were held nationwide on January 11, with official results already announced. However, controversy later erupted in Buriram province in…
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Call centre scammers caught red-handed in bank bust
Two Thai women were arrested in Tak province yesterday after police disrupted a call centre scam that tricked a retired teacher into transferring 500,000 baht, believing she was accessing welfare benefits. The suspects were apprehended at a bank in Mae Sot district, where they were attempting to withdraw cash. Officers from the Police Cyber Taskforce under Provincial Police Region 6,…
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Chinese man arrested in Pattaya luxury condo for selling Pod K
Police arrested a Chinese man at a condominium in Pattaya yesterday, January 19, for distributing ketamine-laced vape liquid, commonly known in Thailand as Pod K. Officers from Mueang Pattaya Police Station and Chon Buri Provincial Police launched a joint operation dubbed “Clip the Wings,” aimed at cracking down on illegal items and narcotics circulating in the resort city. During the…
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South Korean man reports pickpocketing by Pattaya transwoman and woman
A South Korean tourist filed a police complaint after losing his mobile phone, cash, and credit cards in a pickpocketing incident involving a Thai transwoman and another woman in Pattaya. The complaint was lodged at Mueang Pattaya Police Station at around 11.30pm last night, January 19. The victim, a 64 year old South Korean man identified as Hong, was accompanied…
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Manhunt launched after hotel receptionist beaten to death in Hua Hin robbery
A manhunt is under way after a hotel receptionist was brutally beaten to death with an iron bar during a robbery at a hotel in Hua Hin, Prachuap Kiri Khan province. The killing was reported to officers at Hua Hin Police Station at around 3.15am yesterday, January 19. The murder took place at Best LD Hotel, located in Soi Hua…
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Phuket hotel worker in DJ room break-in case released on 50,000 baht bail
Phuket Provincial Court granted bail to the hotel security employee accused of attempting to break into a female DJ’s room, allowing his release on 50,000 baht yesterday, January 19. The attempted break-in at Holiday Inn Resort Surin Beach came to public attention after a Thai female DJ, Mirinda Malinrattanawadee, shared details of the incident on he Facebook account on Friday,…
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Questions raised after ITD wins safety award despite deadly construction accidents
The Department of Labour Protection and Welfare came under heavy criticism after it emerged that Italian-Thai Development (ITD) received a national safety award despite a series of deadly construction accidents. Public scrutiny intensified following the recent crane collapse in Nakhon Ratchasima, which struck a passenger train, and another collapse on Rama II Road near Bangkok. Both incidents resulted in deaths…
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Thai mother says hospital delay leads to death of her newborn baby
A 23 year old Thai woman demanded accountability from a state hospital in Udon Thani province, claiming medical staff left her waiting in critical condition for more than three hours, a delay she believed led to the death of her newborn son. The grieving mother, Nattawadee “Nan” Komonwanich, reached out to Thai social media influencer Phanumart “Piak” Jitwasinkul, in an…
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Swedish drug suspect caught in luxury Hua Hin condo
Immigration police arrested a Swedish man in Hua Hin yesterday, January 18, following reports of suspicious behaviour. Investigators later confirmed he was wanted for serious criminal charges in his home country. The arrest followed an investigation led by Region 3 Immigration Police, after they received information suggesting the suspect was hiding in Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan. Residents in the…
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