Porked & busted: Thai woman nabbed for telling ‘pork’ pies 208 times

In a sizzling tale of deceit, Bangkok police arrested a cheeky con artist for cooking up a scheme that left a local butcher over 1.6 million baht out of pocket. Wannipa, a 27 year old Thai woman, was collared by officers from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) after she used fake receipts to bag free pork not once, not twice, but a staggering 208 times!

The meaty scandal came to light on the CIB’s official Facebook page yesterday, sending shockwaves through the community. Wannipa’s arrest took place at a bustling shopping mall on Rama 9 Road, bringing an end to the high-stakes Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) she allegedly began back in April 2022.

According to the police report, Wannipa initially bought pork online from a butcher in Bangkok and transferred the payment via a mobile banking application. The shop required her to send the transfer receipt to the store’s LINE account before delivering the pork, and she complied.

Wannipa continued to buy pork from the shop numerous times and the butcher grew to trust her as a regular customer. However, the shop owner later became suspicious when Wannipa presented a transfer receipt but no money was deposited into the account.

The butcher reviewed previous transactions and discovered that they had never received payment from Wannipa after her first purchase.

Police reported that Wannipa used fake receipts to obtain pork 208 times, with the total value exceeding 1.6 million baht. The shop owner subsequently filed a complaint at Saimai Police Station.

Wannipa was arrested and initially agreed to repay the butcher, leading to her release on bail. However, she failed to return the money and relocated in an attempt to evade arrest. The case was then transferred to CIB officers, resulting in her arrest yesterday.

Wannipa admitted to her criminal actions, revealing that she used photo editing software to alter bank transfer receipts to obtain free products. She now faces two charges:

• Section 14(1) of the Computer Crime Act: Importing false or distorted information into a computer system, causing damage to others. This carries a penalty of up to five years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to 100,000 baht.
• Section 264 of the Criminal Code: Creating counterfeit documents, with a penalty of up to three years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to 60,000 baht, or both.