Vietnamese nationals arrested in Bangkok for planned thefts
Bangkok police arrested two Vietnamese nationals who illegally entered Thailand after previously being involved in a pickpocketing gang.
On December 6, officers from Phra Ratchawang Police Station arrested 56 year old Duong Thi Ngoc Thao and 31 year old Huynh Hoa Loc. Police found them in Soi Prachasongkroh, an area known to have a large Vietnamese population.
The investigation began when security guards at Wat Pho reported a group of Vietnamese tourists acting suspiciously. Their behaviour matched that of pickpocketing gangs previously arrested in 2024.
Police launched an operation in the area and found two individuals whose appearance matched past suspects.
At around 3pm, officers spotted the pair near an apartment in Ratchadapisek, Bangkok. They identified themselves and questioned the suspects, who spoke fluent Thai and claimed to have entered the country legally. Police contacted the Immigration Bureau to verify their identities.
Authorities later confirmed that Duong was actually 59 year old Vo Thi Anh Tuyet, a Vietnamese national previously convicted of theft in a public worship site. Police arrested her under a 2024 criminal court warrant and deported her after she served her sentence in September 2025. Tuyet had re-entered Thailand using a new passport with a fake name and a younger age.
Huynh was also flagged in police records as part of the same Vietnamese pickpocketing gang arrested in 2024.
Both suspects admitted they had travelled with a third person, 53 year old Nguyen Huu Van, who also has an outstanding arrest warrant from 2024. The three crossed into Thailand on the night of December 5, using a boat to travel across the Mekong River from Laos. A Thai national picked them up and brought them to Bangkok. Each person paid 11,500 baht for the illegal crossing.
Khaosod reported that the suspects confessed they intended to steal from tourists during the 2026 New Year period.
Officers confirmed that none of them passed through official immigration checkpoints. Both Duong and Huynh admitted to entering Thailand illegally, which violates the Immigration Act of 1979.
Police charged the two with illegal entry and transferred them to Phra Ratchawang Metropolitan Police Station for further legal action.
In related news, police arrested 17 South Korean and Chinese nationals in Bangkok and Pattaya for running a major call centre scam.
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