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.

  • Fears police chief Thitisan won’t be held accountable for murder | Thaiger

    Fears police chief Thitisan won’t be held accountable for murder

    Many, especially on social media, have expressed worries that Pol Col Thitisan “Jo Ferrari” Utthanaphon will escape harsh punishment or perhaps any punishment at all. With the hashtag #StopLyingJoe trending on Thai Twitter yesterday and the bizarre press conference allowing the now-fired police officer to speak to the public and defend his actions, many believe that after his surrender Thursday,…

  • Court approves Thitisan custody extension, investigate further | Thaiger

    Court approves Thitisan custody extension, investigate further

    As police in the Crime Suppression Division continue their investigation into Pol Col Thitisan “Jo Ferrari” Utthanaphon, the Nakhon Sawan court approved an extension to keep him in custody for 12 days. The Muang district police say they need time as they still have 10 witnesses to question. In Thai law, an indictment must be made as quickly as possible,…

  • Field hospital raided after reports of Covid patients doing drugs, having group sex | Thaiger

    Field hospital raided after reports of Covid patients doing drugs, having group sex

    Police raided a field hospital in central Thailand after reports that the Covid-19 patients were doing drugs and having orgies. A staff member at the field hospital in Samut Prakan, just southwest of Bangkok, told police the patients engaging in group sex and getting into fights where some patients were injured. Officers from the Internal Security Operations Command dressed in…

  • Runaway cop wanted for alleged murder turns himself in in Chon Buri | Thaiger

    Runaway cop wanted for alleged murder turns himself in in Chon Buri

    A police chief who allegedly killed a suspect while in custody has surrendered to police in Chon Buri, saying he was just trying to protect society from the dangers of drugs. A video of Thitisan Utthanaphon allegedly suffocating a suspect by placing plastic bags over his head has gone viral, leading to the dismissal of 7 officers, including Thitisan. He…

  • Fugitive police Chief Joe said to be captured in Myanmar | Thaiger

    Fugitive police Chief Joe said to be captured in Myanmar

    [UPDATE: Media is now reporting to have received confirmation from police sources of the information below.] A few Thai media websites are reporting the alleged capture of Pol Col Thitisan “Chief Joe” Utthanaphon, the police station superintendent seen in video with a group of officers released this week putting a plastic bag over a suspect’s head, reportedly suffocating a suspect…

  • No special protection for police that allegedly killed man in custody, says police | Thaiger

    No special protection for police that allegedly killed man in custody, says police

    Police inspector general Visanu Prasartthongosoth wants outraged citizens not to worry that officers will get off with a slap on the wrist for their alleged involvement in the torture death of the man they had in custody. Visanu says no special protection for the police officers will be given. Thai media says that despite reports that say Thitisan Utthaphol has…

  • NACC investigating cars and wealth of fugitive Chief Joe | Thaiger

    NACC investigating cars and wealth of fugitive Chief Joe

    As the story of the 7 police officers accused of suffocating a man to death while trying to extort him for 2 million baht continues to unfold, 2 of the officers are currently fugitives, including Pol Col Thitisan “Chief Joe” Utthanaphon whose incredible wealth and fleet of cars has come under intense scrutiny. Now the National Anti-Corruption Commission has launched…

  • 7 police officers face charges relating to suspect’s death in custody | Thaiger

    7 police officers face charges relating to suspect’s death in custody

    Arrest warrants have been issued for seven police officers who were allegedly involved in the incident where a plastic bag was put over a drug suspect’s head before he was beaten, allegedly by officers demanding a 2 million baht bribe. Reports say the man died from suffocation, but officers wrote the death off as a drug overdose. As of this…

  • 7 teenagers arrested for allegedly planning to use small bombs at protest | Thaiger

    7 teenagers arrested for allegedly planning to use small bombs at protest

    Police arrested seven teenagers for allegedly possessing ping pong bombs with plans to use them at an upcoming protest in Bangkok. Officers raided a home in Nakhon Pathom, right outside the capital, at around 3:30am yesterday and seized 18 ping pong bombs. The teenagers at the home, ages 12 to 19, were arrested. Police also confiscated 3.69 grams of marijuana,…

  • Man assaulted at Pattaya worker camp | Thaiger

    Man assaulted at Pattaya worker camp

    A Cambodian worker at a camp in Pattaya sustained a severe head injury after he was reportedly beaten by teenagers. Police were alerted to the attack at 11pm a few days ago. When police got to the worker camp, they found the man lying on the ground, bleeding profusely from his head. The worker, identified 28 year old “Mr Mai,”…

  • Man arrested for allegedly pretending to be a cop and sexually assaulting prostitutes | Thaiger

    Man arrested for allegedly pretending to be a cop and sexually assaulting prostitutes

    Police in Bangkok arrested a man who allegedly posed as a cop and sexually assaulted prostitutes, stealing from some of them. Allegedly, he raped sex workers more than 40 times over the past 6 months. The 34 year old man, identified as Kittipop, was arrested in Bangkok’s Lat Phrao district. Kittipop allegedly admitted to police that he pretended to be…

  • Manhunt launched for ex-cop who allegedly killed suspect in custody | Thaiger

    Manhunt launched for ex-cop who allegedly killed suspect in custody

    Thai police are out to catch one of their own, with a manhunt launched for former police chief Thitisan Utthanaphon, who is on the run. The ex-cop, previously chief of police in the northern province of Nakhon Sawan, is accused of causing the death by suffocation of a drug suspect in custody. The dead man has been named as 24-year-old…

  • Husband and wife arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle crystal methamphetamine to Hong Kong | Thaiger

    Husband and wife arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle crystal methamphetamine to Hong Kong

    A man and his wife have been arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle 9 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, which they hid in shoulder bags, to Hong Kong. The drugs were seized nearly a year prior in Bangkok. Henry Kelechi Alaeto, a Nigerian national, and his Thai wife, 24 year old Wanwisa Pilatan, were detained by police in their Bangkok room,…

  • Man allegedly steals 6 bottles of alcohol gel from restaurant, cleans table before leaving | Thaiger

    Man allegedly steals 6 bottles of alcohol gel from restaurant, cleans table before leaving

    A man allegedly stole 6 bottles of alcohol gel from a famous restaurant in Udon Thani, a province in northeast Thailand. But before leaving, the man used the gel to clean a table and chair. The 38 year old restaurant owner, identified as Alias, says she woke up in the morning and was shocked to find that tables at her…

  • PM orders investigation into alleged police killing of man in custody | Thaiger

    PM orders investigation into alleged police killing of man in custody

    The PM has ordered an investigation into the alleged killing of a man while in police custody in the northern province of Nakhon Sawan. A leaked video of the alleged incident has gone viral, prompting outrage around the country. According to a Bangkok Post report, police arrested a man and woman accused of drug offences and, while questioning the pair,…

  • Video of alleged police killing during extortion attempt shared on social media | Thaiger

    Video of alleged police killing during extortion attempt shared on social media

    A video of the alleged police killing during an extortion attempt was shared on social media today by a well-known Thai lawyer. The footage shows officers putting a plastic bag over a man’s head and beating him. Reports say the man died from suffocation, but the district chief allegedly ordered his subordinates to write the death off as drug overdose.…

  • Probe into alleged mishandling of Red Bull heir fatal hit-and-run case is underway | Thaiger

    Probe into alleged mishandling of Red Bull heir fatal hit-and-run case is underway

    The investigation into the alleged mishandling of the 2012 fatal hit-and-run case where the Red Bull heir Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidh­ya allegedly sped through Thong Lor, running over a police officer with his Ferrari, is underway and is expected to be closed in 16 months. Boss managed to evade justice and has since fled the country. Now, 15 senior police officers,…

  • Police chief transferred for probe into death during alleged extortion attempt | Thaiger

    Police chief transferred for probe into death during alleged extortion attempt

    A police chief in Nakhon Sawan is being transferred following allegations that he accidentally killed a man while demanding a 2 million baht bribe. A plastic bag was reportedly tied over the man’s head and he suffocated to death, but the superintendent of the station allegedly wrote the death off as drug overdose, according to Royal Thai Police inspector-general Wissanu Prasartthong-osoth.…

  • UPDATE: Gunman holds two people hostage on Bangkok bus | Thaiger

    UPDATE: Gunman holds two people hostage on Bangkok bus

    UPDATE: The man who allegedly hit a bus conductor in the head with a gun and held two people hostage at gunpoint told police he was stressed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Coconuts Bangkok. The suspect, Pheeranat Saengchan, who is around 23 or 24 years old, also tested positive for drugs. He was charged with drug use and coercion…

  • Police investigate claims that officer accidentally killed a man in extortion attempt | Thaiger

    Police investigate claims that officer accidentally killed a man in extortion attempt

    The Royal Thai Police are looking into a report that claims a police officer from the northern Thai province Nakhon Sawan accidentally killed a suspect while the officer was attempting to extort the suspect for 2 million baht. The investigation came about after celebrity lawyer Decha Kittiwittayanan publicised the claim on Facebook. Decha’s post stated the case starts with the…

  • 650 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine found off Trang’s coast | Thaiger

    650 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine found off Trang’s coast

    650 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine has been found off the coast of Kantang which is in the southern Thai province of Trang. Reportedly, the methamphetamine was loaded into fertiliser sacks which were then tied to barrels that floated along the sea. An unnamed marine generator vessel alerted officials to the suspicious buoy like objects that were floating between Koh Laoliang…

  • 24 arrested at illegal party in Koh Samui luxury villa | Thaiger

    24 arrested at illegal party in Koh Samui luxury villa

    Perhaps people are getting fed up with Covid-19 restrictions keeping them isolated and unable to socialize and party. Or maybe the police are cracking down more on the illegal parties that often become Covid-19 clusters or superspreader events. Either way, stories of private parties in violation of Covid-19 Emergency Decree restrictions being busted seem to be cropping up more and…

  • Police officers seen dining in restaurant despite Covid-19 rules | Thaiger

    Police officers seen dining in restaurant despite Covid-19 rules

    A picture and story have gone viral on Thai social media where people complained about the inequality in who has to follow rules and who doesn’t. The uproar was caused by 2 police officers who were spotted dining in a local restaurant in Bangkok despite continued Covid-19 restrictions prohibiting dine-in service. The police officers were identified to be from the…

  • Police arrest 21 people at Pattaya party violating Covid-19 decree | Thaiger

    Police arrest 21 people at Pattaya party violating Covid-19 decree

    Yet another party breaking all Covid-19 restrictions was just broken up in Central Pattaya tonight, with 21 people arrested. The event was in front of the Tree Town Market area on Soi Buakhao and police raided the party just before 9 pm. Pattaya and the rest of the Chon Buri province is now a maximum control dark red zone, and…

  • Immigration police arrest man for allegedly laundering money for drug trafficking syndicate | Thaiger

    Immigration police arrest man for allegedly laundering money for drug trafficking syndicate

    A 31 year old man from India was arrested by Thai immigration police for allegedly laundering money for an international drug trafficking syndicate in Southern Thailand. Officers say the man has been buying gold with money obtained through the illegal drug trade and opened an electrical appliance store in Bangkok’s Pahurat area as a cover for the money laundering operations.…

  • Police arrest man for allegedly robbing Bangkok gold shop, threatening owner with fake gun | Thaiger

    Police arrest man for allegedly robbing Bangkok gold shop, threatening owner with fake gun

    Thai police arrested a man yesterday for allegedly robbing a gold shop and running off with a gold necklace valued at more than 50,000 baht in Bangkok’s Udomsuk area. He allegedly used a fake gun to threaten the shop owner and fled the scene on a motorbike with no license plate. After reviewing surveillance camera, footage police were able to…

  • Grenade found outside local politician’s home in Prachin Buri | Thaiger

    Grenade found outside local politician’s home in Prachin Buri

    A grenade was found in front of a local politician’s home in the central province Prachin Buri, east of Bangkok. The chief of the Kham Tanot Administrative Organization, 53 year old Suchart Dejsupha, said he was in a meeting when he received a message from his daughter with a photo of what appeared to be a bomb outside his house. Police…

  • Police raid birthday party at Bangkok resort, arrest 28 people | Thaiger

    Police raid birthday party at Bangkok resort, arrest 28 people

    Police raided a birthday party at a resort in Bangkok and arrested 28 people for violating emergency orders which prohibit gatherings of more than five people. Sutthisan police officers raided the resort in the Ratchadapisek area at around 3:30am today and arrested them for violating the disease control measures. Bangkok is classified as a “dark red” zone under maximum control with…

  • Family of Phuket murder suspect does not plan to request bail | Thaiger

    Family of Phuket murder suspect does not plan to request bail

    The family of Teerawat Thothip, the man who allegedly killed 57 year old Swiss national Nicole Sauvain-Weisskopf, does not plan to request bail for him. Region 8 Police Commander Kitrat Panpetch confirmed the family does not plan to file for bail. Nicole’s half-naked body was found earlier this month in a creek near Ao Yon Waterfall. Her shorts and shoes…

  • Woman who stole over 250 million baht from sick mother sentenced to 12 years | Thaiger

    Woman who stole over 250 million baht from sick mother sentenced to 12 years

    A Bangkok woman who stole 253 million baht from her elderly sick mother has been jailed for 12 years. The Bangkok Post reports that 55 year old Mawadi Siwirat stole the money from her 84 year old mother, named as Huay Siwirat, while she was receiving hospital treatment for a heart condition. Mawadi pled guilty and was found guilty on…