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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    Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run

    Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...

  • Prinn hands himself in to ‘acknowledge’ sexual abuse allegations | Thaiger

    Prinn hands himself in to ‘acknowledge’ sexual abuse allegations

    Former Democrat Party deputy leader Prinn Panitchpakdi handed himself over to police at Phetchaburi Police Station today at around 9am to “acknowledge” another complaint of sexual harassment filed against him. At 9am today, 45 year old Prinn handed himself over to Phetchaburi Police Station to be questioned by superintendent Pol. Col. Wanchai Khaoram. Prinn turned himself in to “acknowledge” the…

  • Corpse found floating in Gulf of Thailand | Thaiger

    Corpse found floating in Gulf of Thailand

    Fishermen discovered the body of a man floating on the surface of the sea around 500 metres away from the coast in Nakhon Si Thammarat province in southern Thailand yesterday. The man’s wrists and ankles had been tied up with ropes and weighed down with rocks. His identity remains unknown. The swollen corpse of a man, around 165 centimetres tall…

  • UPDATE: Policeman who killed eye doctor at Bangkok zebra crossing out on bail | Thaiger

    UPDATE: Policeman who killed eye doctor at Bangkok zebra crossing out on bail

    UPDATE: The Thai policeman who earlier today was sentenced to 1 year and 15 days in prison for driving his Ducati motorbike into a woman killing her at a zebra crossing in Bangkok, has now been released on bail. Bail was posted this afternoon at 200,000 baht. The 21 year old policeman will now be free whilst his lawyer and…

  • Group of Vietnamese stole over 450,000 baht from Uniqlo | Thaiger

    Group of Vietnamese stole over 450,000 baht from Uniqlo

    Popular Japanese clothing brand, Uniqlo at Gateway shopping centre in Bangsue has been robbed by a gang of Vietnamese thieves, 1 male and 3 females, who allegedly stole 19 polo shirts and 62 long sleeve shirts valued at 64,000 baht. Police told reporters the theft wasn’t the gang’s first time as it happened in 5 department stores between April 17…

  • Pattaya’s ‘happy water’ drug problem under fire | Thaiger

    Pattaya’s ‘happy water’ drug problem under fire

    After Pattaya police busted over 20 teenagers using ‘happy water‘ at a party last month, there’s now an increased effort to crack down on the ‘drug’ cocktail. The chief of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau said happy water is usually made by combining ecstasy, methamphetamine, diazepam, caffeine and painkillers, mixed into a curious liquid cocktail with hot water and mixing it…

  • Bangkok taxi driver photographs himself raping 17 year old girl from Myanmar | Thaiger

    Bangkok taxi driver photographs himself raping 17 year old girl from Myanmar

    A Bangkok taxi driver has photographed himself raping a Burmese teenager earlier this month. The girl had been in Bangkok seeking a job, and she told police her aunt made a Facebook post to try to help her find one. Investigators say the alleged rapist, 39 year old Adirek Sae Bae, commented on the post and said he would employ…

  • Man in eastern Thailand tries to sell motorcycle to shop it was stolen from | Thaiger

    Man in eastern Thailand tries to sell motorcycle to shop it was stolen from

    A man in Thailand’s eastern province of Trat was (rather embarrassingly) busted when he tried to sell a used motorcycle to a shop it was stolen from two weeks before. The man told police in questioning that he got the bike from a friend in Laem Ngob district, who told him to sell it, and they would split the money. But the…

  • Prison guard under investigation for blackmail | Thaiger

    Prison guard under investigation for blackmail

    After a guard at the Thonburi Women’s Correctional Institute in Bangkok was suspected of corruption and bribery, an investigation is now underway. In return for alleged special treatment, the guard wanted money from the family of a prisoner. The guard, who has not been named, is now suspended during the investigation and will be fired if proven guilty. Somsak Thepsuthin,…

  • Police allegedly selling dodgy ‘special tickets’ allowing Burmese to stay in Thailand | Thaiger

    Police allegedly selling dodgy ‘special tickets’ allowing Burmese to stay in Thailand

    Four police officers from the main city Samut Sakhon Police Station, south west of central Bangkok, were dismissed from their positions after being reported for allegedly selling “special tickets” to trafficked Burmese migrants. The tickets required Burmese migrant workers to pay a monthly fee of 500 baht and carry the tickets everywhere to avoid arrest. On April 19, Thai media…

  • Two Ukrainian fugitives arrested in Phuket over US tax evasion scandal | Thaiger

    Two Ukrainian fugitives arrested in Phuket over US tax evasion scandal

    Two Ukrainian nationals wanted for fraud and tax evasion in the US were arrested in Phuket on Tuesday. The men fled to Thailand after warrants for their arrest were issued in Florida earlier this month. The pair are accused of providing employment for hundreds of illegal immigrants in America from 2007 – 2021 and evading $10 million in employment taxes.…

  • Village chief kills thief who stole his chickens | Thaiger

    Village chief kills thief who stole his chickens

    A village headman shot and killed a thief who allegedly stole his chickens at around 6am this morning in Songkhla province, southern Thailand. The shooter said the man was threatening him with a machete so he shot him three times in the chest out of self-defence. Police are speaking with eyewitnesses to determine what happened. When police arrived at the…

  • Police seize 100 fake visa documents and work permits offered for Thais to work aboard | Thaiger

    Police seize 100 fake visa documents and work permits offered for Thais to work aboard

    The Immigration Bureau reports that they raided a Bangkok company that allegedly offered fake documents and visas for Thai people who wanted to work aboard. The officers say they found counterfeit documents for submitting to the embassy and fake work permits for applying for work with more than 60 companies in foreign countries. Yesterday, the immigration police reported that their…

  • Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard saga continues | Thaiger

    Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard saga continues

    The legal saga between Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard continues in court. Depp filed a lawsuit against Heard after she wrote a column in 2018 describing herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse”. Even though Heard never named Depp explicitly, he is suing for implying he was a domestic abuser. Depp delivered a roughly three-hour testimony on…

  • Thai activist writes about his sex life behind bars, gets put back in prison | Thaiger

    Thai activist writes about his sex life behind bars, gets put back in prison

    A Thai activist is facing one year behind bars for writing about his sexual experiences in prison on his Facebook account. Ekachai Hongkangwan was sentenced to one year in prison without parole yesterday. The activist’s relatives have applied to get him out on bail and are awaiting the Supreme Court’s final decision, which is expected to take two to three…

  • 10 more women accuse embattled politician Prinn of sexual abuse in Bangkok | Thaiger

    10 more women accuse embattled politician Prinn of sexual abuse in Bangkok

    Ten more women have come forth to accuse former Democrat Party deputy leader Prinn Panitchpakdi of sexual abuse, as the sex scandal involving a senior politician continues to grow. The latest accuser, who has been described as a “well-known” 30 year old woman, alleged that Prinn had sexually assaulted her 14 years ago, about four months after they first met.…

  • Royal Thai Police issue their own report card – solving more than 600 cases this year | Thaiger

    Royal Thai Police issue their own report card – solving more than 600 cases this year

    The Royal Thai Police have announced that they have successfully solved 631 crime cases and other ‘issues’ for residents this year. 147 more cases are still waiting to be solved or ‘fixed’. Some of the outstanding cases would be transferred to the relevant departments as they were beyond the police’s abilities and responsibilities. Yesterday, the Assistant Commission General, Prachuap Wongsook,…

  • Two women stabbed with box cutter at CentralWorld shopping mall in Bangkok | Thaiger

    Two women stabbed with box cutter at CentralWorld shopping mall in Bangkok

    Yesterday, officers from Pathum Wan Police Station arrested a man who used a box cutter to stab two women at CentralWorld, a famous shopping mall in Bangkok. The suspect claimed he visited the mall to find a job and had no explanation for his actions. At about 4 pm, staff of the famous Bangkok shopping centre reported to the police…

  • Arrest warrant issued for former Thailand PM Yingluck after she skips court date | Thaiger

    Arrest warrant issued for former Thailand PM Yingluck after she skips court date

    Thailand’s former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra was issued an arrest warrant by the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders on Tuesday, after she failed to appear at the court’s hearing for charges in a case filed by the National Anti-Corruption Commission, or NACC. Hardly a surprise, the former elected PM of Thailand fled the country in 2017 and…

  • Armed man robs gold shop in Pattani, southern Thailand – VIDEO | Thaiger

    Armed man robs gold shop in Pattani, southern Thailand – VIDEO

    An armed man has robbed a gold shop in a Big C supermarket in Pattani province, southern Thailand. Police say the thief stole a total of nine necklaces worth 15 baht weight in gold (a ‘baht’ in gold is about 15 grams). According to CTV footage, the robber walked by the Yang Hub Teng gold and jewellery shop in the…

  • Thailand DSI seizes counterfeit luxury goods in Phuket valued at more than 50 million baht | Thaiger

    Thailand DSI seizes counterfeit luxury goods in Phuket valued at more than 50 million baht

    Officers from Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation raided warehouses in Phuket on Monday, where they seized more than 100,000 counterfeit items valued at more than 50 million baht. The director of the Intellectual Property Department under the DSI investigated 5 warehouses that were reported to have stockpiled counterfeit goods. Authorities found fake luxury brand goods stored in 5 warehouses, including…

  • 3 more women break their silence, adding to claims of Prinn’s alleged sexual abuse | Thaiger

    3 more women break their silence, adding to claims of Prinn’s alleged sexual abuse

    More potential #MeToo victims are coming out of the closet, as Thailand faces what may be the largest sex scandal involving a senior politician. On Monday, another three women filed complaints with police against former Democrat deputy leader Prinn Panitchpakdi, for a total of eight women who have officially accused him of sexual misconduct, according to a report by the…

  • Rescue worker shot dead after rival volunteer groups brawl in Bangkok | Thaiger

    Rescue worker shot dead after rival volunteer groups brawl in Bangkok

    A volunteer rescue worker has died, after reportedly receiving a lethal gunshot wound to the chest during a street brawl that broke out between two rival volunteer foundations on Sunday in Bangkok. Officers from Thonglor Police Station investigated Kasam Rat Road in front of Lotus’s Rama 4 branch in Bangkok yesterday, after receiving a report of a fight between two…

  • Khon Kaen beauty queen says she was sexually assaulted by Grab driver | Thaiger

    Khon Kaen beauty queen says she was sexually assaulted by Grab driver

    A Thai beauty contest winner has posted on Facebook claiming that she had been sexually assaulted by a Grab motorcycle taxi driver last Saturday in Khon Kaen, northeast Thailand. The beauty queen posted a screenshot of the Grab driver’s details online warning others against using his motorcycle taxi services. She has filed a police report at Khon Kaen City police…

  • Thai man and 78 year old foreign stepfather arrested over child sex abuse in Phuket | Thaiger

    Thai man and 78 year old foreign stepfather arrested over child sex abuse in Phuket

    A Thai man and his foreign stepfather have been arrested for allegedly engaging in child sex crimes and sexual abuse in Phuket. Police say the Thai man pretended to be a swimming coach and lured male children less than 15 years old into swimming at his stepfather’s house for potential sexual exploits. More than 15 children were reportedly involved in…

  • Thailand’s Defence Ministry says Yakuza member is not former PM’s son | Thaiger

    Thailand’s Defence Ministry says Yakuza member is not former PM’s son

    Thailand’s Defence Ministry is calling ‘fake news’ on rumours that a former PM’s son is part of a yakuza gang after he was arrested in the US this month on suspicion of trafficking in drugs and weapons. The gang members were arrested for trafficking heroin and methamphetamine while trying to acquire surface-to-air missiles for rebel groups in Myanmar and Sri Lanka,…

  • UPDATE: Bangkok court approves detention of former Democrat deputy leader | Thaiger

    UPDATE: Bangkok court approves detention of former Democrat deputy leader

    UPDATE After over 20 women came forward this week accusing former politician Prinn Panitchpakdi of sexually harassing and assaulting them, the Bangkok South Criminal Court has now approved detention for Prinn this morning (Sunday). Three of the alleged victims lodged complaints with Lumpini police, and the police requested that Prinn be detained for further questioning about the allegations. Prinn attended…

  • Alleged victim of sexual assault by politician withdraws from Bangkok election | Thaiger

    Alleged victim of sexual assault by politician withdraws from Bangkok election

    A woman who is alleging former Democrat party deputy leader Prinn Panitchpakdi raped her, has announced yesterday she was withdrawing from the Bangkok city councillor election. The woman, Anna Vidhyaphum, said in a Facebook post that she wanted to show that her accusation against Prinn is not politically motivated. Anna’s party, The Ruam Thai United party, issued a statement yesterday…

  • First rape victim speaks out against Democrat deputy leader | Thaiger

    First rape victim speaks out against Democrat deputy leader

    Anna Vidhyaphum, who is seeking a seat in the Bangkok City Hall Assembly under the Ruam Thai United Party, became the first person to step forward to claim that she had been allegedly raped by Democrat deputy leader Prinn Panitchapakdi. Around 20 others have made similar allegations, with some reporting Prinn to the police for alleged rape, sexual assault, and sexual…

  • Police arrest 7 suspects in cherry bomb attack on PM Prayut’s home | Thaiger

    Police arrest 7 suspects in cherry bomb attack on PM Prayut’s home

    Police have arrested 7 youths suspected for involvement in the throwing of a cherry bomb on Sunday at the home of Thailand Prime Minster Prayut Chan-o-cha, whose permanent residence is located on the grounds of the First Infantry Regiment of the Royal Guards on Vibhavadi Road in Bangkok. Police say that CCTV footage from around the military barracks helped them…

  • UPDATE: Bangkok authorities try to limit the water games on Khao San Road | Thaiger

    UPDATE: Bangkok authorities try to limit the water games on Khao San Road

    We warned you, but we can’t stop you. That’s the message being conveyed by the actions of Thai authorities, who have shown restraint toward prohibited water splashing on Khao San Road in Bangkok during this week’s Songkran festival. Police, and even soldiers, have been called in to remind tourists and Songkran revellers about the government’s ban on water splashing this…