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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If you plan to stay longer in Thailand, having health insurance is now more important than ever. Thai immigration often asks for proof of medical coverage when you apply to extend your visa. This applies to many types of visas,...
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Fight breaks out on island off Pattaya
A fight broke out in front of a resort on an island off Pattaya on Wednesday night between two groups of people. Security footage captured 6-8 people on motorbikes passing by the resort on Koh Larn and glancing back at another group that was marching toward them on foot. After the group on motorbikes exited the footage, the group was…
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81-year-old Japanese man arrested for murder after pushing wife’s wheelchair into sea
Police arrested an 81-year-old Japanese man after he allegedly pushed his wheelchair-bound wife into the sea. The man, Hiroshi Fujiwara, was arrested in the Oiso, Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan with police saying he then admitted to killing his 79-year-old wife. Fujiwara said he was worn out from looking after her as she had been in a wheelchair for the past…
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VIDEO: Korean tourist in Pattaya says transgender person pickpocketed him
Even though Pattaya’s thieves have largely targeted Indian tourists this year, it appears that when picking targets, people of all nationalities are fair game. A Korean tourist in Pattaya told police that a transgender person pickpocketed him on a beach on Wednesday night. The tourist, 43 year old Sanghyeon Lee, said he was walking on Pattaya Beach with friends when…
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Bangkok police arrest 15 scammers, seize US$1 million
Bangkok police arrested 15 suspected scammers involved in a barrage of illegal businesses, seizing assets worth more than over 42 million baht (US$1.1 million) yesterday. The arrests follow a series of disturbing incidents, including a raid on a nightclub disguised as a car wash in the Yannawa district, and the death of a tourist after a night out at a…
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Crazed drug addict buries unconscious victim alive
A crazed drug addict in the Isaan province of Udon Thani faces up to 20 years in prison after he attempted to murder an unconscious man by burying him alive. A police report revealed that Teerawat Suwanno attacked 55 year old Sopa (surname reserved) with a gardening hoe, knocking him unconscious, before attacking his unnamed friend who managed to escape.…
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Prisoner fakes his own death to escape cell in Pattaya, Thailand
An alleged thief faked his death yesterday in an attempt to escape his cell in Pattaya, Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand. However, the “dead” prisoner shot up like a bolt when suspecting rescue workers placed ammonia under his nose. Yesterday, officers from Pattaya City Police Station arrested and detained 53 year old Sayan [surname withheld] under suspicion of stealing 50,000…
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Man arrested for selling homemade guns
A Thai man was arrested yesterday for making homemade guns and selling them via e-commerce platforms. The man revealed that he learned how to produce the barrels from social media. Police raided the home of Phuwadon Rakthinderm in the Kung district of the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat and arrested the 34 year old for producing and selling firearms…
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Knife-wielding meth addict circles daycare centre in northeast Thailand
A man in a suspected meth-induced psychotic episode took a knife and circled a daycare centre in Non Suwan subdistrict, Buriram province, northeast Thailand yesterday morning. At around 9am, 30 year old Gongphon “Ming” Sehlah arrived at Non Suwan Child Development Centre armed with a knife and began walking around the centre. According to police, Ming entered a methamphetamine-induced psychotic…
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China to join Thailand in cracking down on transnational crimes
China has pledged to assist Thailand in cracking down on transnational crimes, according to a Facebook post by the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok. The embassy acknowledged several criminal cases that were subject to Thai police investigations. It says the Chinese government places importance on law enforcement and the suppression of illegal narcotics, indecent acts, and gambling. Now, the embassy says…
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Intruder who attacked US House Speaker’s husband says it was a suicide misison
The intruder who broke into US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s home and severely injured her husband, says it was a suicide mission. David DePape hit Paul Pelosi in the head with a hammer, leaving him unconscious in a pool of blood leaving him to be hospitalised with a skull fracture. DePape was captured and arrested, telling police that he was…
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Halloween crowd surge casualties prompt raid on Seoul’s police headquarters
After a deadly crowd surge at a Seoul Halloween event left at least 156 people dead, special investigators are raiding the city’s police headquarters. Records released of emergency calls warning that the crowds of Halloween party-goers were becoming too big, prompted the investigation as authorities say police had four hours of advanced warning. Eight locations were searched including the Seoul Metropolitan…
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Police raid 4 Phuket venues for underage drinking
Raids in Phuket last night saw police targeting businesses accused of selling alcohol to minors. Police say they received numerous complaints that some venues in the area were selling alcohol to children. The legal age for drinking in Thailand is 20 years old. Last night officials from many local and provincial police forces and government departments descended on a number…
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Vandalised tourist service centre gets makeover in Pattaya
An abandoned vandalised tourist service centre in Pattaya has been cleaned up after several crimes in the area. Pattaya Police, along with City Councilman Nikom Sangkaew, worked together to change the light bulbs and clean up the police box opposite the Royal Garden Plaza on Beach Road. The box has barely offered any services since 2019. Photos by Pattaya Mail…
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Naked Brit in Koh Samui wants everyone to “meet with God”
A naked British tourist in Koh Samui reportedly has some strange goals for the world. Koh Samui police found the man in the sea at Baan Mae Nam Beach over the Halloween weekend. Boat operators struggled to help get the man out of the water, and the man even grabbed one operator, shoved him under the water and tried to…
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Phuket murder suspect arrested in Athens
The Greek national, wanted for the murder of a Thai beautician in Phuket, has been reportedly arrested in Athens. Dimitrios ‘Dim’ Chairopoulos was arrested last Thursday, according to the Greek City Times. An arrest report states the 46 year old is “said to be the one who in February 2019, murdered his 43-year-old wife of Niramon ‘Bae’ Aewkaew in Phuket.…
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Pattaya captors of Chinese man may have had illegal student visas, says “Big Joke”
UPDATE More details are emerging on the kidnapping of a Chinese man in Pattaya in the early hours of Sunday morning. The captors cut off one of the man’s pinky fingers. The man’s captors may be Chinese nationals in Thailand on illegal student visas, according to the Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn. An investigation…
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Dishonest taxi driver keeps 70,000 baht found in his cab
A passenger filed a complaint to the police against an alleged dishonest taxi driver in Samut Prakarn province near Bangkok after he refused to return the 70,000 baht he found in the cab back to its owner. The taxi driver asked his friend to pretend the cash was hers and kept the money for himself. The passenger, 43 year old…
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Norwegian man arrested for stealing taxi from Krabi Airport in southern Thailand
Thai police did a double take yesterday afternoon when they saw a Norwegian man driving a taxi out of Krabi International Airport in southern Thailand. The thief made the police chase easy by stopping at a convenience store to buy a drink, where he was arrested and detained. At 3.30pm, officers from Huai Yot Police Station in Trang province received…
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Chinese man in Pattaya has finger cut off, allegedly by gang who held him captive
Pattaya Police say that a Chinese man had his finger cut off by a ransom gang who held him captive. The man, 41 year old Ren Haibo, suddenly disappeared at midnight on October 30, according to his Thai girlfriend, 20 year old Alisara Supasiribundit. Alisara said that Ren and his car were both gone. She said Ren’s brother contacted her the…
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Police seize 6 safes from illegal Chinese karaoke venue
UPDATE Officers seized six safes from the illegal Jin Ling Chinese karaoke venue in the Sathorn area of Bangkok as the investigation continues. One of the safes was packed with a mixed drug called Happy Water, which is made by dissolving ecstasy, methamphetamine, diazepam, caffeine, and tramadol – in hot water or mixing them with sweetened drinks. Another one that was opened…
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5 security guards on drugs arrested for robbing army residence
Five security guards were arrested yesterday after they robbed an army residence in Bangkok. The thieves stole four lightning rods worth 200,000 baht but only received 16,000 baht for the stolen goods. The group also tested positive for drugs. A soldier in charge of the security of army condominiums, inside the Royal Thai Armed Forces headquarters in the Don Mueng district…
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Chinese man and his Thai wife arrested for illegal possession of guns
A Chinese man and his Thai wife were arrested for illegally possessing several guns in their Phuket luxury home. Police searched the house of the Chinese man and his Thai wife in the Kathu district on Friday after the man had reportedly shown off his weapons on social media. The police found 18 firearms, most of which were BB guns. However,…
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Murderer surrenders after stabbing wrong man in Phuket
A murderer surrendered to police after stabbing a man to death in front of a grocery store in Phuket on Saturday. The killer claimed that he stabbed the wrong person, thinking that the man he murdered was his enemy. The alleged murderer, 35 year old Pannawit, stabbed 49 year old Charoen Panngen on Saturday morning in front of a shopping…
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A man in South Thailand causes floods by stealing drainage equipment worth 2 million baht
A man in the Trang province of South Thailand has caused floods by stealing public drainage equipment worth 2 million baht, Thai media reported yesterday. The man, 30 year old Permpol, allegedly stole the equipment in Trang’s main city district. He reportedly stole parts including gears, gate valves, water drainage screws, and panelboards. Residents complained to Trang police, who gathered evidence…
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Chaiyanat denies involvement in Yannawa pub management
The businessman under suspicion of drug and corruption offences, Chaiyanat Kornchayanant, has denied any involvement in the management of the Yannawa pub, where 104 customers, mostly Chinese nationals, tested positive for drugs during a police raid. Chaiyanat who donated 3 million baht (US$80,000) to the beleaguered Palang Pracharath Party could have landed the ruling party and one of its leaders,…
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Shots fired by Bangkok police in drugs bust car chase
Plainclothes police officers fired at a car they believed to be driven by a drug dealer who was attempting to flee. The suspect remains at large. The incident took place on Phetkasem Road on Friday evening, causing panic in the area. It is the latest skirmish in Thailand’s war on drugs, triggered by this month’s day car massacre in the…
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“Where is Nancy?” Man attacks US Speaker Pelosi’s husband with hammer
Fueled by rhetoric from former President Donald Trump and Q-Anon conspiracy theories, a man broke into the home of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and attacked her husband with a hammer while demanding to see her. The attack is seen by many as a foreshadowing of potential political violence with the upcoming midterm elections in the United States just one…
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Palang Pracharath Party could be dissolved, ex-acting PM banned
The fallout continues after a drug bust at a karaoke venue in Bangkok revealed that the owner had previously donated 3 million baht to the Palang Pracharath Party. Now, the political party may face dissolution due to accepting what is believed to be “grey money” donations, with top officials being banned from politics. Former election commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn said that…
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Police say US gunman’s weapon was taken from him a week before attack
More details have emerged on the horrific shooting in the US on Monday. Police said that the gunman’s weapon had been taken from him about a week before he shot and killed a teacher and student at the Central Visual & Performing Arts High School in St. Louis. The gunman, 19 year old Orlando Harris, also injured seven others in…
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Gamblers allegedly cheated & attacked at casino in Bangkok
Two gamblers filed complaints to police saying that they were attacked at a casino in Bangkok run by a Chinese man. One of the gamblers reckons Bangkok has more than 100 gambling dens in the city despite gambling being illegal in Thailand, and that police insist there are zero casinos in the city. The founder of the non-profit organisation Saimai…
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