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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Sponsored New in July: Save 10% for life on family health plans in Thailand
Cigna has a special offer this July for families in Thailand. When you sign up three or more people on a family health plan, you will save 10% on your premiums for life. This deal helps you get affordable, high-quality...
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Van driver on pills doesn’t notice sparks for 10km
If you’re going to drive under the influence, make sure you have a spare tyre and not just spare Yaba pills. In what can only be described as a wild ride, a 29-year-old van driver was arrested by Tha Chatchai Police this morning for driving his vehicle without its left front tyre for a staggering 10 kilometres. Pichai Klomsanoh, a…
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No, you can’t get a driver’s license via LINE
Despite what you may have read on the Internet, you absolutely cannot get a legal driver’s license by messaging someone via the LINE app and having them take the test for you. The Department of Land Transport Phuket Office issued a warning about a scam involving illegal and online driving licenses. The scam has been circulating on social media, including…
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US arrested man for stock fraud in Phuket
A man wanted by the United States for his involvement in stock manipulation and fraud has been arrested in Phuket. Peter Coker Jr, a citizen of the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, was apprehended on Wednesday in a hotel room located near Surin Beach. The arrest was made by a team consisting of the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) and…
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3 fraudsters to be extradited from Thailand to South Korea
Three South Korean citizens have been arrested on suspicion of committing fraud resulting in losses of 159 million baht (approximately US$4.84 million) in Korea before fleeing to Thailand. They will be extradited to South Korea to face charges. The suspects, identified as Kim, 54, Yang, 60, and Ye Jun, 51, were charged with fraud in South Korea for alleged stock…
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DSI accused of soliciting 50 million baht bribe from gambling king
Help Crime Victim Club President Autchariya Ruengrattanapong accused the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) of soliciting bribes of 50 million baht from a gambling kingpin named Somchai Jutikitdaecha. Somchai, also known as Long Joo, is a well-known personality in the eastern provinces of Thailand, especially in Rayong. He is well-liked in the community and perceived as kind because he helps…
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Police nab over 400,000 meth pills in 7 South Thailand provinces
Police nabbed over 400,000 meth pills in seven provinces in South Thailand. Some 430,029 meth pills were found in the provinces of Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Chumphon, Krabi, Phang Nga, Ranong, and Phuket. Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn said in a press conference on Wednesday that the crackdown aimed to ensure safety in…
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Tuhao’s wife dismissed from Royal Thai Police
Pol Col Wanthanaree Kornchayanant was dismissed from the Royal Thai Police Monday, along with five other officers suspected of illegal involvement with her husband Chaiyanat “Tuhao” Kornchayanant. Top cop Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas issued the dismissal orders himself, according to Bangkok Post. Wanthanaree was arrested three weeks ago on drug and money laundering charges and released on 2-million-baht bail the next…
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Half-naked corpse of woman found near railway in Isaan
A railway maintenance worker notified the police after finding a half-naked corpse of a woman near a railway in the Wattana Nakhon district in the Isaan province of Sa Kaeo yesterday. The officers from the Watthana Nakhon Police Station and a rescue team rushed to the scene after receiving the notification. They found the corpse of a woman aged about…
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Thai NGO reports highest number of missing children in 4 years
A Thai NGO reports that the country’s number of missing children last year was the highest it had been in four years. The Mirror Foundation, which works to help families find missing children, reports some disturbing numbers. Last year, 252 children went missing from home in Thailand. This was a 25% increase from 202 children in 2021, the foundation said. …
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Russian man attacked in Pattaya bar after refusing to pay 60 baht bill
A Russian man was assaulted by a female bar owner in Pattaya after he refused to pay a 60-baht bill. The owner claimed she acted in self-defence as the man was drunk, refused to pay the bill, and slapped her in the face first. A rescue team was notified that a Russian man, later identified as Michael, was injured in…
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Corruption investigation leaves some Thai immigration officials in hot water over helping Chinese businessmen
A corruption investigation has left some Thai immigration officials in hot water over their alleged involvement in helping Chinese businessmen. Senior Immigration Bureau investigators say they found clear evidence that some officers are helping foreign criminals by serving as owners of foundations that provided visas to Chinese nationals. According to Bangkok Post, one of the ‘foundations’ had its headquarters in…
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Another black life taken in US police custody
Three things are certain in life in the United States: day follows night, innocent people become fatal victims of random gunman attacks, and black people die in police custody. Already this year, three black men have lost their lives while in the hands of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). The latest black life to be lost while in LAPD…
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Thai police bust nine YouTube scammers that allegedly contributed to middle schooler’s suicide
Thai police busted nine YouTube scammers that allegedly contributed to a Nonthaburi middle schooler’s suicide. Police say they arrested two suspects yesterday, 38 year old Ratchanon Saijind, and 34 year old Chaiyawat Virasorn, after they were suspected of purchasing cryptocurrency using a now deceased middle schooler’s money. After police interrogated the two suspects, they said they learned the identities of…
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International school teacher accused of molesting kindergarten pupil in Koh Samui
A teacher at an international school in Koh Samui in Surat Thani province, southern Thailand, has been accused of molesting a kindergarten pupil. Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police Pol. Maj. Gen. Surchate “Big Joke” Hakparn travelled to the island yesterday to attend a meeting about the progress of the case so far. The parents of a kindergarten student…
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Assets over 10 million baht stolen from businessman at fitness centre
A businessman filed a complaint with police after assets of over 10 million baht were stolen from a fitness centre safety box at a shopping mall on Ngam Wongwarn Road in Nonthaburi. This isn’t the first time the fitness centre has been targeted by thieves. Their task is made a lot easier by the fact there are no security cameras…
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Woman kidnapped and left for dead in deep forest in Northern Thailand
National Park rangers rescued a 65 year old woman who was kidnapped by two unidentified men yesterday and left for dead in a deep forest in the northern province of Lampang. The leader of the Wian Kosai Nation Park, Prawit Jaikam, reported to the media that he received a message from a woman, in Baan Pang Ma O in the…
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Toronto man stabbed to death by a group of eight teenage girls
Toronto police say they know the identity of a 59 year old man who was stabbed to death by eight teenage girls. The man, Ken Lee, was allegedly swarmed by a group of girls in mid-December. He was reportedly living in a homeless shelter and was attacked at around midnight in the city’s downtown. He later died in the hospital.…
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Tourist Police prepare to protect Chinese from Pattaya’s crimes
Now that China has lifted travel restrictions on its citizens, Pattaya Tourist Police are preparing to protect Chinese tourists from the city’s crimes. The chief of Tourist Police Station 4 said yesterday that the lift on Chinese travel restrictions might result in a crime rise in the area. Tourist Police will start patrolling high-risk spots such as Walking Street, South…
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More than 1,500 arrested in Thailand last year for gambling, online fraud
Thailand’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Society says more than 1,500 people were arrested in 2022 for online fraud and gambling. The Cybercrime Control Committee announced the statistics at its first meeting for the year. According to the Bangkok Post, 166 suspects were nabbed for their roles in eight call centre scams. Some 461 were reprimanded over illegal online gambling…
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Watchdogs call for investigation into ties between Myanmar arms broker and junta leader
Watchdog groups are calling for an investigation into the relationship between an arrested Burmese businessman in Thailand and Myanmar’s junta leader. The campaign group Justice for Myanmar, and other similar groups, are calling for a probe into their ties and to block their access to Thailand’s financial system. The calls come after arms broker Tun Min Latt, 53, and three…
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Cops bust thieving couple who sold items to second hand shops in Phuket
Cops busted a thieving couple in Phuket on Monday, a husband and wife team who stole items and sold them to second hand shops. Police say the husband has been identified as Banjerd, and the wife as Toon Mathurasorn, The Phuket News reported. A Russian man, Oliver Thurman, alerted Wichit Police on January 6 that a towing rig and a…
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Thai police seize 30 kilograms of heroin bound for Hong Kong hidden in puppy pads
Thai authorities seized a sizeable 30 kilograms of heroin yesterday in Samut Prakan province, just north of Bangkok, believed to be headed to Hong Kong. Police arrested a Hong Konger and a Thai national during the raid. Officers from the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) raided a house in the Kanchanaphisek 39 area of Samut Prakan to find…
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2 Thai women attacked by foreign mafia in Koh Samui
A Thai woman sought help from the Thai media after she and her mother were attacked by some foreigners who claimed to be part of a mafia gang at a bar in Koh Samui on New Year’s Eve. The woman turned to the media because the police ignored her case. The local Facebook page Samui Fresh News posted a video…
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Police on the prowl for scam gang after Thai teen commits suicide
Police are on the prowl for a scamming gang after a teenage boy committed suicide in Thailand’s central Nonthaburi province. The boy, 15 year old Arthit, hung himself in a wooded area in the Pakkret district on Sunday. Arthit left a note apologising to his mother for stealing up to 15,000 baht from her purse. Investigators later found that criminals…
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Immigration police arrest two Chinese fraudsters illegally living in Thailand
In two separate but similar cases, Immigration Police arrested two Chinese fraudsters posing as businessmen and illegally living in Thailand. Collectively, the pair scammed victims of over 2 billion baht. Case 1 Police arrested a 44 year old Chinese national named Changguan (pseudonym) who allegedly scammed hundreds of victims of over 1.4 billion baht by persuading them to invest in…
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Police close unlicensed cannabis stalls in Pattaya
Pattaya Police swooped on unsuspecting cannabis stalls operating without a license in the Bang Lamung District at the weekend and closed them down. Officers closed five unlicensed cannabis shops, and arrested one man, after inspecting hundreds of stalls in Pattaya over the weekend, reported Pattaya Mail. Pattaya Police chief Pol. Col. Kullachart Kullachai and Dr Thongchai Lertwilairattanapong, director-general of the…
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British man claims he was tortured by Thai police
A British man claims he was tortured by Thai police for seven days straight in Phuket, southern Thailand when his holiday abroad went gravely wrong. British authorities have launched an investigation into the alleged abuse, reports FirstPost. He allegedly sustained broken ribs, bruised limbs, septic infections, swollen wrists, and lost four teeth in the ordeal. The victim, 51 year old Carl…
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2 Russian men report money missing from safe in Pattaya hotel
Two Russian men filed complaints with the police after nearly 140,000 baht disappeared from safety boxes in a hotel in Pattaya. Investigating officers reported there is no traces of the thief because the hotel’s CCTV cameras were all broken. The two Russian men, Natalina Chernova and Oleg Gipke, filed a complaint at Mueng Pattaya Police Station on Saturday, January 7…
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Bomb threat against Jetstar flight in Japan (video)
A caller who appeared to be based in Germany made a bomb threat against a Jetstar flight in Japan on Saturday. The suspect called Narita Airport on Saturday morning in Japan time and said in English that he had planted a bomb on Jetstar Flight 501, according to the airline operator. The flight was headed to Fukuoka from Narita. Jetstar…
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Burglar snatches almost 100,000 baht from Hong Kong tourist’s Pattaya villa
Pattaya’s thefts against tourists seem to never end… A burglar snatched almost 100,000 baht from a Hong Kong tourist’s rented Pattaya villa on Friday night, according to the victim. The victim’s villa is located in Jomtien Beach. The victim, Ng Ho Hin, told police the thief also nabbed a Bluetooth speaker. Hin said he had been out all day, and…
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