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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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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Nong Khai police bust SIM box scam hidden in rental room
Police in Nong Khai seized SIM box devices concealed above a rental room ceiling yesterday, January 18, after a suspicious booking led to an investigation into a possible scam operation. The discovery came after the room owner in Nai Mueang subdistrict, Mueang district, noticed abnormal wiring and alerted immigration police. Officers found three SIM box machines, two Huawei wireless routers,…
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Thai musician killed on Korat road after conflict with rival band
Police today, January 19, arrested five suspects in connection with the murder of a drummer in Nakhon Ratchasima province, following a long-running conflict between their music bands. The victim, 47 year old Phichate, the drummer and leader of the Rai Kart music band, was found dead at 4.47am on Saturday, January 18, on Dan Khuntod–Thepharak Road in the Dan Khuntod…
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Thai woman and 2 Chinese men arrested over nominee hotel in Chiang Mai
A Chinese woman fled arrest while two Chinese partners and a Thai nominee were taken into custody during a raid on an illegally operated hotel in Chiang Mai province on Thursday, January 15. Officers from the Chiang Mai Provincial Immigration Office raided a hotel on Chang Klan Road in the city centre following an investigation into suspected nominee business practices.…
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Bangkok homeless man steals luxury bag from Chinese tourist
Police arrested a Thai homeless man for snatching a luxury bag from a Chinese tourist outside a restaurant in Bangkok’s Yan Nawa area on Friday, January 16. The Chinese victim filed a theft complaint with Yannawa Police Station at around 9.45pm. She told officers that she had been dining at a restaurant on Narathiwat Ratchanakarin Road and briefly left her belongings…
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Danish woman breaks arm and leg while hiking in Phuket
A Danish couple sought assistance from rescuers after the woman suffered broken bones to her arm and leg during a hiking trip along the Ton Sai–Bang Pae route in Phuket. Rescuers from Guardians of Life Medical & Rescue received a distress call from the foreign couple on Friday, January 16, reporting an accident on the popular hiking trail. The incident…
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Thai man loses diamond ring in Phuket EDM festival, ruining proposal plan
A Thai man lost a diamond ring worth about 300,000 baht and multiple credit cards to a pickpocket at an EDM music festival in Phuket on Saturday, January 17, shattering his plan to propose to his girlfriend. The victim’s girlfriend shared details of the incident on her Facebook account, Acare Alice, yesterday, January 18. The theft reportedly occurred during the…
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Bangkok crime rates drop 17% in 2025, arrests improve
Bangkok recorded a notable decline in crime rates in 2025, alongside improved arrest rates. This reflected more proactive and targeted policing by the Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB). MPB commissioner Pol Lt Gen Siam Boonsom released crime statistics covering the period from January 1 to December 31, comparing the figures with the same timeframe in 2024. He reported a significant year-on-year…
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Traffic police arrest three Vietnamese men with guns and drugs in Bangkok
Traffic police in Bangkok have arrested three Vietnamese men after firearms and illegal drugs were found during a routine drink-driving checkpoint in Wang Thonglang district. The arrests took place at about 1.40pm on January 17, 2026, when officers from Wang Thonglang Police Station were conducting alcohol breath tests in front of a petrol station on Pracha Uthit Road, in Phlapphla…
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Funeral shooting leaves one dead as suspect surrenders
A fatal shooting at a funeral ceremony in Phatthalung province has left one man dead, with the suspect surrendering to police several hours later and admitting to the killing. The incident occurred shortly after midnight on January 17, 2026, at Wat Khuan Peng in Moo 10, Khok Sai subdistrict, Pa Bon district. Police from Pa Bon Police Station were called…
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300kg of crystal meth seized and two traffickers arrested
Authorities have seized approximately 300 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine and arrested two suspected members of a drug trafficking network in Mueang district, Sakon Nakhon province, following a coordinated security operation. The arrests took place at about 9.10pm on January 16, 2026, in the parking area of the bypass market in Dong Mafai subdistrict. Officers recovered six sacks containing an estimated…
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Search intensifies for second victim in well murder case
Rescue workers in Lopburi province intensified their search on January 17, 2026, after detecting an odour believed to be from a decomposing body inside an abandoned well, where a second murder victim is thought to be buried. The operation centres on the search for Ms Jiraporn, known as “Teacher Lek”, aged 61, who was allegedly killed by her nephew along…
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Nigerian drug dealer arrested on Koh Pha Ngan after skipping court
Police arrested a Nigerian drug dealer on Koh Pha Ngan in Surat Thani on Wednesday, January 14, after he skipped court proceedings following an earlier arrest. Officers from the Koh Pha Ngan Tourist Police received a tip-off that the suspect, 38 year old Nigerian national Ukoma Jefta Nuzbech, who was wanted in a drug case, was travelling along a road…
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Japanese man arrested after viral reviews on his illegal matcha stall
Online food reviews led to the arrest of a Japanese man for operating a matcha ice cream shop without permission in Chiang Mai. The apprehension later sparked a heated online debate, with some netizens accusing authorities of discrimination. The Japanese man, 39 year old Junichi, was operating a small matcha ice cream stall outside Yang Kwang Temple, located in the city…
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Steel bar dropped from condo crane pierces through Phuket home
A steel bar reportedly fell from a crane at a high-rise condominium construction site and pierced through a home near Surin Beach in Phuket on the night of Wednesday, January 14. Fortunately, no injuries were reported, despite the close call. The female homeowner shared a video of the shocking incident on social media, showing a long steel bar embedded through…
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35 Thais detained after allegedly being forced to work in Cambodia
Thai police yesterday, January 15, detained 35 Thai nationals near the Aranyaprathet border in Sa Kaeo province after they illegally crossed back from Cambodia, claiming they had been unknowingly taken out of the country and forced into online scam operations. The Burapha Task Force, along with rangers from the 12th unit’s Company 1206, found the group walking along a forested…
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South Korean man and Thai wife die in crane collapse one day after marriage
A South Korean man and his Thai wife lost their lives in the Nakhon Ratchasima crane disaster on Wednesday, January 14, one day after their marriage. Authorities confirmed that a German national and a South Korean man were among 32 people killed when a construction crane collapsed onto a moving passenger train in Korat on Wednesday. While the German man’s…
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3 missing passengers in Korat crane-train collision found alive
A medical official confirmed yesterday, January 15, that three people previously reported missing after a construction crane collapsed onto a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima were found safe and receiving treatment at hospital. The deadly incident occurred on Wednesday, January 14, when a crane from the elevated railway construction for the Bangkok–Nong Khai high-speed train collapsed onto a moving passenger…
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Chinese man spotted roaming around Pattaya after robbing real estate agent
Pattaya police are continuing their manhunt for a Chinese man wanted for robbing a fellow Chinese woman, after the suspect was spotted on CCTV at a convenience store near Jomtien Beach today, January 15. The victim, 35 year old Chinese real estate agent Yang Wang, filed a complaint with Nong Prue Police Station after the robbery occurred at around midnight…
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Royal Thai Army admits 8 drunk soldiers beat conscript to death
The Royal Thai Army admitted that eight soldiers physically assaulted three conscripts at Sura Dham Pithak Military Camp in Nakhon Ratchasima, resulting in the death of one of the victims. The case came to public attention after the family of a 21 year old private, Krittanon Phonchantuek, spoke out on social media to condemn the abuse inside the military camp.…
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UAE tourist loses 14,500 baht to foreign pickpockets in Pattaya
A tourist from the United Arab Emirates lost around 14,500 baht in cash after being pickpocketed by two foreign men in Pattaya yesterday, January 14. The victim, 45 year old Mohamed Abdelkaliq Abdalla Khadim Almaazmi, filed a complaint with Mueang Pattaya Police Station at around 7am on Tuesday, January 13, after realising that cash had gone missing from his trouser…
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