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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    What do you need before moving from the US to Thailand?

    The Thaiger key takeaways The most common medical emergencies for expats in Thailand include motorcycle accidents, tropical diseases, and food or water-borne illnesses. Air pollution and heat-related conditions like heatstroke also pose serious seasonal health risks, especially in northern and...

  • Man, posed as Bangkok modelling agent, arrested for allegedly raping 36 women | Thaiger

    Man, posed as Bangkok modelling agent, arrested for allegedly raping 36 women

    A man in Bangkok was arrested on rape charges after 36 women came forward to police, claiming the man posed as a modelling agent to lure the women into an in-person meeting, then threatening them to take drugs and forcing them to have sex with him. The victims say 39 year old Denphum Wattanachotpinyo had posed as an agent, saying…

  • Police step up border patrols and checkpoints, arresting 49 illegal migrants today | Thaiger

    Police step up border patrols and checkpoints, arresting 49 illegal migrants today

    Police are stepping up border checkpoints and patrolling as 49 more illegal migrants from Myanmar are arrested today. In the North, Trairong Piewpan, deputy commissioner of Provincial Police Region 6, says checkpoints have been set up along the roads, waterways and natural foot trails in an effort to block all possible channels for illegal border crossings from Myanmar. In Songkhla, a…

  • Third supsect arrested in bomb attack of Maldives ex-president | Thaiger

    Third supsect arrested in bomb attack of Maldives ex-president

    After a bomb attack in the Maldives attempting to assassinate former president Mohamed Nasheed, police have arrested a third suspect. The Manhunt has continued in the Maldivian capital city of Malé as the police appealed to the public for any information they may have about another suspect. Religious extremists have been blamed for the attempt on the former president’s life.…

  • Murder of Thai wife may have been 2nd attempt by US man | Thaiger

    Murder of Thai wife may have been 2nd attempt by US man

    The American man accused of the murder of his Thai wife in Chiang Mai has now confessed to the brutal crime. And it may not have been the first time he tried to kill her. The 32 year old man, who was a computer programmer in the United States, admitted that he killed his wife while she was 3-months pregnant.…

  • Thai woman admits to stealing lottery tickets from blind ticket seller in Bangkok | Thaiger

    Thai woman admits to stealing lottery tickets from blind ticket seller in Bangkok

    A 57 year old Thai woman is admitting to stealing lottery tickets from a blind seller in Bangkok. The woman, Sumali Muangpluem, is now under arrest for allegedly stealing from the disabled seller in the underground Sutthisan Station train between November 25-27 of last year. Sutthisan police say they collected evidence of the same type of theft in many districts,…

  • American man arrested in Chiang Mai for allegedly killing pregnant Thai wife | Thaiger

    American man arrested in Chiang Mai for allegedly killing pregnant Thai wife

    An American man has been arrested for allegedly murdering his pregnant, Thai wife and hiding her body in a rubbish bin. Police say 32 year old Jason Matthew Balzer then dumped his deceased wife’s body in a field in northern Thailand. 32 year old Pitchaporn Kidchob’s mother became concerned for her daughter’s welfare after seeing Balzer flee their home on…

  • Police bust 4 drug runners with 150 million baht of meth | Thaiger

    Police bust 4 drug runners with 150 million baht of meth

    About 150 million baht worth of methamphetamine pills were impounded in Nakhon Phanom today in a bust of 4 suspected drug runners. Police and military cooperated to nab 4 men, aged 21 to 36 hailing from Mukdahan. Nakhon Phanom is a northeastern Thai province that borders Laos, separated by the Mekong River. A press conference was held this afternoon at…

  • 12 gamblers arrested in raid on restaurant in central Thailand | Thaiger

    12 gamblers arrested in raid on restaurant in central Thailand

    Police have arrested 12 people found eating, drinking, and gambling in a restaurant in the central province of Pathum Thani. Under disease prevention measures, there is currently a ban on in-restaurant dining in a number of provinces in Thailand. According to the Bangkok Post, the authorities raided the restaurant in the Lam Luk Ka district of Pathum Thani late last…

  • Japanese man who ran 12 million baht scam arrested in Pattaya | Thaiger

    Japanese man who ran 12 million baht scam arrested in Pattaya

    A Japanese man, now arrested in Pattaya by immigration police, ran a scam netting over 12 million baht from 46 victims before fleeing to Japan. The 46 year old man identified as Michuma had been living in Thailand for 2 years after arriving on a visitor visa. Suspicion was aroused after an informant told immigration officials that the man was…

  • Police in Phuket seize 100,000 methamphetamine pills, women arrested on drug charges | Thaiger

    Police in Phuket seize 100,000 methamphetamine pills, women arrested on drug charges

    Police in Phuket arrested 2 women on drug charges and seized a package containing 100,000 methamphetamine pills, 200 grams of crystal methamphetamine, and drug paraphernalia. Police say they received a tip about women suspected of selling methamphetamine and pills known as “ya ba,” meaning “crazy drug” in Thai. Officers tracked down 38 year old Ladawan ‘Mod’ Chuengyang and 24 year old…

  • Taxi driver relieves stress by shooting slingshot at cars and shops | Thaiger

    Taxi driver relieves stress by shooting slingshot at cars and shops

    Life is pretty stressful lately, but there are right and wrong ways to relieve that stress. A taxi driver in Bangkok chose the wrong way to blow off steam: shooting at cars, buses and restaurants with a slingshot. The 48 year old driver Phaiwan Aechaiyaphum was arrested by the Metropolitan Police Bureau last night at his Suksawat-area room. He is…

  • Officers seized 31 million baht in cash and assets in 20 drug trafficking raids | Thaiger

    Officers seized 31 million baht in cash and assets in 20 drug trafficking raids

    In a major crackdown on a suspect drug network run by a woman in Northern Thailand, officers raided 20 locations in the Eastern region and seized cash as well as other assets valued at a total of 31 million baht. Thailand’s Office of the Narcotics Control Board launched an investigation back in October into a suspected drug network said to…

  • Nuns arrested for allegedly scamming hundreds out of a total of 10 million baht | Thaiger

    Nuns arrested for allegedly scamming hundreds out of a total of 10 million baht

    Police arrested 3 Buddhist nuns at a meditation centre in Thailand’s Isaan region for allegedly scamming more than 400 people, promising returns to those who invested in a fund for the poor. Victims say the nuns took off with a total of around 10 million baht. A nun at the centre claims those who made merit would receive returns, but…

  • Police crackdown on 3 drug networks in Northern Thailand, local politician on the run | Thaiger

    Police crackdown on 3 drug networks in Northern Thailand, local politician on the run

    In an effort to suppress drug trafficking during the Covid-19 pandemic, police are cracking down on 3 suspected networks in Northern Thailand, including one linked to a local politician who is now on the run. In the busts, police confiscated assets valued at a total of 30.5 million baht. Police are still investigating drug cases linked to the head of…

  • German and Thai arrested for allegedly selling methamphetamine to undercover officer | Thaiger

    German and Thai arrested for allegedly selling methamphetamine to undercover officer

    Narcotics suppression police arrested a German man and a Thai national in Pattaya for allegedly selling crystal methamphetamine. An undercover police officer had transferred money to 59 year old Claus Mike Haberstroh’s bank account and went by a home in the tambon Nong Prue to pick up the drugs. The suspects allegedly handed the undercover agent 39.16 grammes of crystal…

  • 28 people arrested at private villa parties in Pattaya for violating disease control orders | Thaiger

    28 people arrested at private villa parties in Pattaya for violating disease control orders

    Private parties at luxury pool villas in a Pattaya neighbourhood were raided by police last night and 28 people were arrested. Around 50 officers from the Banglamung district and Chon Buri stations were called to the area after neighbours complained that the parties could potentially lead to the spread Covid-19. A birthday party for an English teacher was hosted at…

  • Man arrested for allegedly stealing from foreign men he met through online dating | Thaiger

    Man arrested for allegedly stealing from foreign men he met through online dating

    Immigration police in Bangkok arrested a 29-year-old Thai man who allegedly stole from foreign men he met through dating applications like Grindr. Allegedly, he even drugged some of his dates. Police say the man would sleep with the men in hotel rooms and then somehow get them to reveal their passwords for their online banking account. Police say he would…

  • 6 cats up for auction after owners in drug raid, proceeds go to Narcotics Control Fund | Thaiger

    6 cats up for auction after owners in drug raid, proceeds go to Narcotics Control Fund

    6 cats in Thailand are up for auction after their owners were involved in a drug raid. Thailand’s Office of the Narcotics Control Board says, according to the law, the cats are considered living assets, and must be put up for auction. Secretary-General of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, Wichai Chaimongkol, explained that the felines were confiscated, along…

  • Thai monk beheads himself with guillotine in attempt to reach nirvana, followers could face charges | Thaiger

    Thai monk beheads himself with guillotine in attempt to reach nirvana, followers could face charges

    A monk, apparently ‘seeking nirvana’, has beheaded himself with a handmade guillotine in the northeastern province of Nong Bua Lamphu. Police are now investigating to determine if any of the monk’s followers should be charged for helping the abbot with his untidy path to enlightenment. The monk, Dhammakorn Wangphrecha, reportedly spent 5 years planning his death and believed it would…

  • New Yaba pill laced with crystal meth to increase potency | Thaiger

    New Yaba pill laced with crystal meth to increase potency

    A new type of yaba (methamphetamine) pill in Thailand is being laced with a crystal meth coating to boost its potency. The news comes after Border Patrol Police say they seized 40,950 Yaba pills in Thailand’s northeastern Nakhon Phanom province. Police say the pills are not the regular yaba pills that have existed in the country for years, but are a…

  • Thailand hoping to be upgraded to a Tier 1 nation in anti-human trafficking efforts | Thaiger

    Thailand hoping to be upgraded to a Tier 1 nation in anti-human trafficking efforts

    Thailand is hoping its newest anti-human trafficking report will earn an upgrade from the US from Tier 2 to Tier 1. The report was submitted to the Washington’s Trafficking in Persons Report. Deputy government spokeswoman, Rachada Dhnadirek, said the government is ready to be upgraded after remaining on Tier 2 for 3 years in a row. Those nations who fall on…

  • Phuket man shot by off-duty police officer now paralysed | Thaiger

    Phuket man shot by off-duty police officer now paralysed

    A 25 year old Phuket man who was allegedly beaten and shot by an off-duty, drunken police officer, will never walk again as he remains paralysed in the hospital. The news, according to doctors at Vachira Phuket Hospital, comes after Aroon Thongplab, was shot from a close range, with the bullet hitting his spine. The man was a noodle vendor and…

  • 16 Thais busted running 10 illegal online gambling sites | Thaiger

    16 Thais busted running 10 illegal online gambling sites

    16 web admins are in custody today after being arrested around the Buriram province today for allegedly operating 10 illegal online gambling websites. The group of Thai nationals are accused of renting a house where they secretly operated a string of websites where people could gamble online including sajoker123.com. Police received a number of complaints in March from neighbourhood residents…

  • Japanese man allegedly beaten by Pattaya bar security | Thaiger

    Japanese man allegedly beaten by Pattaya bar security

    A Japanese man is recovering after allegedly receiving a beating by security guards at a bar in central Pattaya just after midnight this morning, according to the Pattaya City Police. The 41 year old Japanese man, Takeshi Shigami, arrived at the police station at 1am, saying that two nightclub guards assaulted him “without provocation”. He claims he did nothing to…

  • Thai man arrested after beating and killing dog for being “mangy” | Thaiger

    Thai man arrested after beating and killing dog for being “mangy”

    A 24 year old Thai man has been arrested in northeastern Thailand’s Udon Thani province, for beating and killing a dog because it appeared to be “mangy.” Watchdog Thailand, posted a graphic video clip on Facebook of the man assaulting the dog several times with a knife and pipe in front of its owner’s house. Later that day, the dog’s owner…

  • Man’s genitals cut and flushed by jealous girlfriend | Thaiger

    Man’s genitals cut and flushed by jealous girlfriend

    Ever felt like your sex life has been flushed down the toilet? A man in Taiwan experienced that literally when his girlfriend cut off his genitals while he slept and flushed them down her toilet on the evening of March 30. The story, first published by the website Mothership the day after the incident, involves a 52 year old man…

  • Court sentences Thailand’s “Jack the Ripper” to death | Thaiger

    Court sentences Thailand’s “Jack the Ripper” to death

    The convicted serial killer known as “Jack the Ripper in Thailand” has been sentenced to death. The Khon Kaen court in the Isaan province announced its decision today, sentencing convicted murderer Somkid Poompuang to death. In 2005, Somkid was convicted of murdering 5 women, including a singer and 4 masseuses. He had sex with the women before killing them, either by…

  • Young men shot and killed in Khon Kaen, gunman still at large | Thaiger

    Young men shot and killed in Khon Kaen, gunman still at large

    A gunman shot and killed 2 young men last night in the Isaan province Khon Kaen. Both 18 year old Korkiat Chanasri and 23 year old Theerayuth Faithee were shot in the head. Witnesses say they saw a man talking with the 2 victims. They heard a gunshot and Korkiat collapsed. Theerayuth tried to flee, but he was also shot.…

  • April Fool’s jokes posted online could land you in Thai jail, police warn | Thaiger

    April Fool’s jokes posted online could land you in Thai jail, police warn

    April Fool’s jokes, pranks and hoaxes are not allowed to be shared on social media in Thailand. No, it’s not a joke. April Fool’s jokes posted on social media could land you in Thai jail, or slapped with a hefty fine for violating the country’s Computer Crime Act. Some April Fool’s jokes posted online are considered “fake news” that mislead…

  • 5 pro-democracy activists indicted for alleged violence against Queen’s liberty | Thaiger

    5 pro-democracy activists indicted for alleged violence against Queen’s liberty

    Prosecutors indicted 5 pro-democracy activists today for attempting to “harm HM the Queen’s liberty” during a rally in Bangkok last year that happened to be along the same route as a royal motorcade. The charge for an “act of violence against the HM the Queen’s liberty” carries a minimum sentence of 16 years in prison. For serious attempts to harm…