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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    5 ways retirees in Thailand lose money (and how to stop it)

    Retiring in Thailand can be affordable and enjoyable, but many retirees lose money due to common mistakes. High living costs, scams, and unexpected expenses can quickly drain savings. There are five ways that retirees in Thailand can lose money and...

  • Sarasas teacher, who allegedly abused students, files complaint against student’s parents for assault

    Sarasas teacher, who allegedly abused students, files complaint against student’s parents for assault

    After being fired and charged with assault, a Nonthaburi teacher has now filed a police complaint against a student’s parents for allegedly assaulting her. The teacher, Onuma Ploadprong at the Sarasas Witaed Ratchaphruek School, says the parents assaulted her after they saw classroom surveillance camera footage of her allegedly pushing and hitting kindergarten students. The teacher is represented by the…

  • Where’s Boss? Interpol red notice issued to nab the Red Bull heir

    Where’s Boss? Interpol red notice issued to nab the Red Bull heir

    An Interpol red notice has finally been issued and being distributed to all member countries in a new effort to track down and arrest Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, the Red Bull Heir who has been dodging justice since 2012 and been a fugitive since fleeing Thailand in 2017. Boss is the grandson of the co-founder of Red Bull, Chaleo Yoovidhya. Boss…

  • Chiang Mai students scammed into buying sold-out concert tickets

    Chiang Mai students scammed into buying sold-out concert tickets

    A group of Chiang Mai students thought they were getting a good deal, but were scammed into buying sold-out concert tickets by an online ticket scalper. The 4 students, who remain unnamed, transferred almost 4,000 baht to a Twitter account, only later to be blocked by the account holder and losing their money. The students thought they were buying the…

  • Man wanted on murder charge killed in police shootout

    Man wanted on murder charge killed in police shootout

    A man wanted on a murder charge was killed in a police shootout yesterday in Prachuap Kiri Khan. The 36 year old man was wanted for allegedly shooting and killing his aunt with a .38 gun back in August. He allegedly shot her because she refused to testify in his favour for a court case against him for allegedly attacking…

  • Justice Minister proposes releasing chronically ill inmates to reduce prison overcrowding

    Justice Minister proposes releasing chronically ill inmates to reduce prison overcrowding

    In an effort to reduce overcrowding in Thailand prisons, the Justice Ministry is looking into allowing chronically ill inmates to be released on a royal pardon. There’s also talk of shortening sentences for those incarcerated on drug charges, according to Justice Minister Somsak Thepsutin. Overcrowding has been a problem at Thailand’s prisons, especially now more space is required for new inmates…

  • Former prisoner, released after murder rap, re-arrested for possession of weapons, drugs

    Former prisoner, released after murder rap, re-arrested for possession of weapons, drugs

    A routine checkpoint in Pattaya has led to the re-arrest of a 31 year old man recently released from prison following his role in a murder 14 years ago. The Pattaya News reports that Somphong Kaewpaijit was arrested in possession of a machine gun and illegal drugs. He was previously found guilty of involvement in the murder of jet-ski champion,…

  • Anti-corruption official recommends overhaul of Thai justice system

    Anti-corruption official recommends overhaul of Thai justice system

    Former National Anti-Corruption Commissioner, and highly regarded senior public servant, Vicha Mahakun, has put forward his recommendations for an overhaul of Thailand’s justice system. Vicha recently led an independent inquiry into the handling of the case against Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, in which he uncovered evidence of corruption and conspiracy by both prosecutors and police. The case trails back to September,…

  • Police confiscate 300 kilos of marijuana in central Thailand drugs bust

    Police confiscate 300 kilos of marijuana in central Thailand drugs bust

    A drugs bust in the central province of Nonthaburi, just north of central Bangkok, has netted 300 kilos of marijuana, valued at around 2 million baht. Anti-narcotics officers confiscated the haul yesterday when they apprehended 3 men in a department store car park. Thai Residents reports that dried marijuana usually fetches around 6,500 baht per kilo on the black market.…

  • Thailand farmers hope to grow and export cannabis by next year

    Thailand farmers hope to grow and export cannabis by next year

    Under a proposed law, Thailand farmers would be allowed to grow cannabis and hemp for export without going through cannabis certified universities or medical institutes. The National Farmers Council president Praphat Panyachatrak says he hopes the new law will be in place by next year. The legislation is still being reviewed by the Public Health Ministry and National Legislative Assembly,…

  • 2 inmates escape from Krabi prison

    2 inmates escape from Krabi prison

    Police are looking for 2 men who allegedly escaped from a prison in Krabi. The inmates allegedly cut an iron bar and exited through a window. The inmates were then able to climb over a barbed wire fence, using 3 blankets tied together as a rope for support. Prison guards guess the men, 32 year old Arnon Denmad and 47…

  • Immigration police arrest 3 at Bangkok airport, 2 Thais allegedly had fake US visas

    Immigration police arrest 3 at Bangkok airport, 2 Thais allegedly had fake US visas

    Thai immigration police arrested 3 people at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport after immigration officials checked their biometrics system. Police arrested 2 Thai nationals who were attempting to leave the country with fake United States visas and another Thai woman who was allegedly involved in a romance scam gang. The Thai man and woman were caught while going through an immigration check…

  • Sarasas school teacher charged with assault for allegedly abusing students

    Sarasas school teacher charged with assault for allegedly abusing students

    The Nonthaburi teacher, who allegedly beat and mistreated kindergarten students, faces charges of physical assault and violating the Child Protection Act. The charges follow reports of abuse after classroom surveillance camera footage from the Sarasas Witaed Ratchaphruek School spread on the internet. Videos show a teacher, identified as Ornuma “Khru Jum” Plodprong, pushing a child to the ground, dragging another…

  • Foreign teachers checked by immigration at Sarasas school after alleged student abuse

    Foreign teachers checked by immigration at Sarasas school after alleged student abuse

    A foreign English teacher at a Sarasas private school in Nonthaburi was allegedly caught working without a proper visa and work permit after an immigration check. An investigation into all 42 Sarasas schools was prompted after a Thai teacher at the Sarasas Witaed Ratchapreauk School in Nonthaburi was allegedly caught on camera beating kindergarten students. A Filipino English teacher at…

  • Russian man allegedly stabs Chiang Mai park officer, tries to break into tourist bungalow

    Russian man allegedly stabs Chiang Mai park officer, tries to break into tourist bungalow

    A Russian man has been arrested after he allegedly tried to break into tourist bungalows and stealing property at a Chiang Mai national park and stabbed a park officer with a pair of scissors. The incident follows months of complaints from Thai tourists at the national park reporting missing property. Thai media reports the 32 year old Russian man as…

  • 5 arrested in Pattaya with machine gun and crystal meth

    5 arrested in Pattaya with machine gun and crystal meth

    Police arrested 5 people, including juveniles, who were allegedly carrying a machine gun, a handgun and bullets as well as crystal methamphetamine and ecstasy. One suspect allegedly told police he needed the machine gun to protect himself from a “powerful enemy.” Police say all of the suspects tested positive for methamphetamine use. The car was passing through a police checkpoint…

  • All 42 Sarasas private schools to be investigated after teacher allegedly beat students

    All 42 Sarasas private schools to be investigated after teacher allegedly beat students

    All of the 42 Sarasas private schools throughout Thailand will be investigated by the Office of the Private Education Commission, or OPEC, after a teacher was caught on camera allegedly hitting kindergarten students. The teacher, Ornuma “Khru Jum” Plodprong, allegedly beat young students at the Sarasas Witaed Ratchaphruek School in Nonthaburi, a suburb in Bangkok on the western banks of…

  • Bangkok heist nets gold ornaments valued at 5.6 million baht

    Bangkok heist nets gold ornaments valued at 5.6 million baht

    Police are searching for a man who allegedly robbed a Bangkok gold shop at gunpoint, stealing gold ornaments valued around 5.6 million baht. The man allegedly pointed a gun at employees, forcing them to hand over 3 trays of gold ornaments. The Yaowarat Krungthep shop is located at the entrance of Tesco Lotus in Bangkok’s Lat Phrao district. Since the…

  • 1,202 gambling websites to be blocked in Thailand

    1,202 gambling websites to be blocked in Thailand

    Thailand is cracking down on online gambling websites. Internet providers will have 15 days to block 1,202 gambling websites before charges are pressed for violating Thailand’s Computer Crime Act. Although gambling is technically illegal in Thailand, underground and online gambling thrives in pockets of the country. The Digital Economy and Society Ministry was ordered by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to crack…

  • “Boss” commission chief says Thai justice system in need of reform

    “Boss” commission chief says Thai justice system in need of reform

    Former National Anti-Corruption Commissioner, Vicha Mahakun, who led the recent inquiry into the handling of the case against Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, says Thailand’s justice system is in need of reform. Red Bull heir and grandson of co-founder Chaleo Yoovidhya, “Boss” stood accused in a 2012 hit-and-run case that caused the death of a 47 year old Bangkok police officer who…

  • Bride and groom shot in Nakhon Si Thammarat wedding

    Bride and groom shot in Nakhon Si Thammarat wedding

    Four people have been killed during a Nakhon Si Thammarat wedding reception in the Tham Phannara district. One other person was seriously injured in the hail of bullets. Local police report that the incident occurred around 11pm on the road outside the house where the reception was being held in the Dusit tambon village. Two of the dead people were…

  • Police arrest 13 illegal Cambodian migrants in Sa Kaeo border province

    Police arrest 13 illegal Cambodian migrants in Sa Kaeo border province

    Police have arrested 13 illegal Cambodian migrants in the Sa Kaeo border province after a patrol team spotted some of them at 2am in the morning. The Burapha Task Force spotted 5 of the migrants in Ban Nong Phai village of Ta Phraya sub district after stopping a grey Toyota Fortuner that was registered in Bangkok. According to police, the…

  • Mother abandons 3 young children in their locked Bangkok room for 3 days

    Mother abandons 3 young children in their locked Bangkok room for 3 days

    3 young Bangkok children were abandoned in a small room for 3 days after the mother allegedly visited her new boyfriend. A neighbour was taking care of the youngest of the 4 children, a 4 month old baby, but the mother never contacted anyone about her other 3 kids. The mother hadn’t returned to pick up her baby from the…

  • Female prisoner on the run after escaping from Phuket Hospital

    Female prisoner on the run after escaping from Phuket Hospital

    A female prisoner is on the run after escaping from Vachira Hospital in Phuket during a doctor’s appointment. 58 year old Siri Phodam allegedly escaped after asking her prison escort officer to use the toilet. But she took a long time to come back, and was found to have escaped. CCTV cameras caught her dressed in a blue hospital patient…

  • Sex worker support group pressures Thai government to decriminalise prostitution

    Sex worker support group pressures Thai government to decriminalise prostitution

    A sex worker support group called The Empower Foundation is hoping to persuade the Thai government to decriminalise prostitution by seeking a 10,000 signature petition. The group, based in Chiang Mai, wants penalties for selling sex removed as it says the 1960 law harbors exploitation and corruption. Such a removal would require Thailand to withdraw the Anti-Prostitution Act which saw…

  • Pattaya men allegedly posed as police officers, extorted 50,000 baht from a woman

    Pattaya men allegedly posed as police officers, extorted 50,000 baht from a woman

    A group of 4 men in Pattaya allegedly posed as police officers and extorted 50,000 baht from a woman. The 20 year old woman says the men claiming to be police officers raided her condominium and a friend visiting had drugs in his possession. In the report filed with Pattaya City Police, the woman says the men asked both her…

  • Facebook, Twitter may face charges for allegedly allowing lèse majesté content

    Facebook, Twitter may face charges for allegedly allowing lèse majesté content

    Facebook and Twitter could face charges for failing to block so called lèse majesté posts that allegedly violate Thailand’s Computer Crime Act. The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society says the social media platforms were warned about Thailand’s laws regarding content that insults the Thai Monarchy or threatens national security and peace, but failed to remove all the illegal posts.…

  • 982 lèse majesté social media posts cited in police complaint

    982 lèse majesté social media posts cited in police complaint

    Nearly 1,000 so called lèse majesté posts on social media have been cited in a police complaint for allegedly violating Thailand’s Computer Crime Act, some allegedly criticising and insulting the Thai Monarchy. The complaints were filed by Digital Economy and Society Minister Buddhipongse Punnakanta. The police report says the social media posts were shared during the pro-democracy protest over the…

  • Armed men allegedly steal more than 100,000 baht from Ayutthaya monk

    Armed men allegedly steal more than 100,000 baht from Ayutthaya monk

    Police are searching for men who allegedly robbed a monk at an Ayutthaya temple, taking off with more than 100,000 baht in cash. Thai media reports that 2 of the men have been arrested and police are still searching for the other 2 men. The monk was in his room at the Dokmai Buddhist Temple when he heard dogs barking.…

  • 2 million methamphetamine pills found in parked truck

    2 million methamphetamine pills found in parked truck

    Police found more than 2 million methamphetamine pills in a truck parked at petrol station at Prachuap Khiri Khan’s Bang Saphan Noy district. Police are still looking for the driver. The Narcotics Suppression Bureau alerted local police about a truck in the area suspected of trafficking drugs. Police spotted a truck that matched the description and saw it turning in…

  • 240 kilograms of marijuana found in truck after police chase, driver still on the run

    240 kilograms of marijuana found in truck after police chase, driver still on the run

    Border patrol officers chased a pickup truck and seized 240 kilograms of marijuana they say was smuggled across the Thai-Laos border. In the chase, the driver allegedly drove into oncoming traffic, hitting another car before ditching his vehicle and running off. Officers say they believe the marijuana was smuggled across the Mekong River from Laos and then it was piled…