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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Bar on Koh Tao raided for offering laughing-gas balloons
A bar named DIZABAR on Koh Tao island in the southern province of Surat Thani was raided on Saturday night after police discovered the establishment was offering laughing-gas balloons to partygoers at 100 baht a pop. Officers also discovered the bar did not have an operating license. Officers revealed that nitrous oxide is a popular new drug among partygoers in…
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PE teacher faces prison for alleged rape of teen student
A school teacher accused of raping a teenage student handed himself in to police today in northeast Thailand. If found guilty, the 45 year old physical education teacher faces up to 20 years in prison. Wachira Phanomkaen, a PE teacher at a school in the Kuchinarai district, is accused of raping a 13 year old girl. The 45 year old…
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Drunk SWAT policeman shoots man 9 times at nightclub in southern Thailand
A drunk Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) police officer shot dead a man inside a nightclub in Trang province, southern Thailand, at around 1am today. The SWAT officer fired 11 shots in total with a 9mm gun. Two more nightclub revellers caught in the gunfire were injured. At 1.13am, officers from Mueang Trang Police Station received a report that a…
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Thai doctor kidnapped in Africa returns home
A well-known Thai doctor who was kidnapped in Mali last month returns home today after being released by his captors. The 49 year old surgeon, Nopparat “Song” Rattanawaraha, was kidnapped while travelling near the Republic of Mali border in West Africa and held captive for 25 days. His captives let him go yesterday after he raised six million baht (US$156,000)…
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“Big Joke” says Pattaya Pool villa victims might have been involved in drugs
UPDATE There’s been yet another twist in the ongoing Pattaya pool villa shooting story. The Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, held a press conference about the incident yesterday morning. Surachate said the victims of the shooting might have been involved in drugs, The Pattaya News reported. Surachate discovered illegal substances in their systems after…
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Botched drug raid: owner claims deal with police, guests bum rush police
A botched drug raid in a popular Pattaya club saw patrons push past police to flee, and the nightclub owner complained he already had a deal with authorities. Police say the raid of Club One Pattaya netted evidence of illegal drug use but led to no arrests. Outnumbered police could not contain the crowd of around 200 patrons, who charged…
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Thai car racing gangs of five or more warned of jail time if caught
Thai street car racing gangs of five or more are being warned that they will face jail time and large fines if they are caught gathering. The superintendent of Prachachuen police station sent out the warning, saying even if they have not started racing, those in groups will be arrested for illegal racing. Land Transport and Excise department officials accompanied…
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Police officer shot by pregnant 4th wife
In a wild story full of twists, a policeman was shot just outside his police station in Bangkok late last night. Even more shocking, the shooting was perpetrated by the police officer’s wife. Not his first wife though, she was just one of his four current wives. And she was pregnant. The bizarre story unfolded in the wee hours of…
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School principal given 50 years in prison over lunch corruption scandal in Thailand
Today, Thailand’s Criminal Court for Corruption sentenced the former principal of Ban Tha Mai School in Surat Thani province, southern Thailand, to 50 years imprisonment. The defendant Somchaow Sittichen confessed to stealing lunch money and serving kindergarten children plain rice noodles with fish sauce for lunch. The court found Somchaow guilty of 77 counts of corruption, each carrying a five-year…
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Soldier arrested for stabbing 15 year old at a nightclub
A soldier has been charged with attempted murder after he stabbed a 15 year old boy at a nightclub in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat last weekend. The teenager was stabbed in the back with a chisel in front of a nightclub in the Tung Song district of Nakhon Si Thammarat at about 2.45am last Sunday, October 16.…
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Nonthaburi police officer admits to stealing over 100 guns from department
A non-commissioned Nonthaburi province police officer admitted to stealing more than 100 guns from the police department. The officer, Chaowalit Pumkajorn, is in custody on theft charges after being arrested in the northeastern province of Nong Khai. According to Thai PBS World, the man is accused of selling or pawning the guns which he had stolen from the Pak Kret…
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The Brahma statue thief who wants to paint the world blue
A thief with mental health problems stole a Brahma statue from a shrine at a school, in the Cha-am district of Phetchaburi province in the west of Thailand, painted it blue, before returning it to where he stole it from. Why? His favourite colour is blue. A teacher, Nu-sajee Kornrawee, posted CCTV footage and pictures of a thief on Facebook…
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Gambling addict sergeant steals 160 guns to pay off debts
A police sergeant with a gambling addiction faces time in prison after he was arrested for selling state guns to pay off his debts. Senior sergeant major, Chaowarit Phumkajorn, from Pak Kret Police Station in Nonthaburi province, near Bangkok, was arrested at 3pm yesterday in the Isaan province of Nong Khai after reportedly selling about 160 police guns to pay…
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US actor Kevin Spacey cleared in sex assault trial
US actor Kevin Spacey has been cleared of wrongdoing in a sex assault trial in New York. The actor was accused by Anthony Rapp of an incident that allegedly happened back in 1986 when Rapp was just 14 years old. Rapp says the actor climbed on top of him in a bed after a party and grabbed his buttocks, pressing…
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Pattaya pool villa suspect’s girlfriend claims boyfriend just came to look around
UPDATE The girlfriend of one of the five Pattaya pool villa suspects claims her boyfriend was just there to look around. The unnamed girlfriend told Pattaya Police that her boyfriend “Rang,” was not involved in the shooting or assault, but was only there to look around because he was a friend of the suspects. Rang’s girlfriend claimed that Rang had…
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Pattaya pool villa gunmen surrender
UPDATE The five gunmen who allegedly opened fire at a Pattaya pool villa on Tuesday last night surrendered to police, The Pattaya News reported. The first three men to turn themselves in were 23 year old Saralan “Top” Yodthat, 24 year old Boonrit “Chooi” Chitma, and 29 year old Jirarot “Rang” Wattana. Police seized a Glock 19 handgun and two…
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Trump answers questions over alleged rape of journalist
Former US President Donald Trump yesterday answered questions under oath about the alleged rape of a journalist in the mid-1990s. The US journalist, author, and columnist, Elizabeth Jean Carroll, alleges she was raped in the Bergdorf Goodman luxury department store in New York in the mid-1990s. Carroll discusses the reported assault in her book, What Do We Need Men For?:…
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Illegal immigrants sneak into Thailand in modified pickup truck
Police were stunned when they found two illegal immigrants squeezed under the cargo bed of a modified pickup truck in Tak province, northern Thailand, yesterday. As KhaoSod put it, “nice idea, but illegal.” A “spy” informed the police that two Thai men in a pickup truck were carrying illegal immigrants who had just snuck across the border from Myanmar into Thailand.…
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Iran arrests 14 foreigners, blames “thugs” linked to “foreign enemies” for protests over woman’s death
Iran has arrested 14 foreigners for their alleged involvement in anti-government protests over the recent death of a young woman in police custody. The government blamed the recent protests as being linked to thugs and foreign enemies. American, French, and British citizens were among those arrested, according to Japan Today. The semi-official Fars news agency, which is believed to be…
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Builders uncover corrupt Thai Army practices
Construction workers say they fear for their lives after stumbling over corrupt Royal Thai Army practices while building army premises. The builders employed the help of a lawyer after they discovered shady dealings while working on army housing loan projects, reported Bangkok Post. They are frightened they will be linked to these corrupt practices. The builders lodged a complaint, via…
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New Zealand gangster arrested in Thailand handed to FBI
UPDATE The New Zealand gangster who was arrested in central Thailand has now been handed over to the FBI for prosecution, Thai police said yesterday. The gangster, 43 year old Shane Ngakuru, had been on the run from the FBI and New Zealand Police. Ngakuru is a high-ranking member of the Comancheros Motorcycle Club gang. He was allegedly involved in…
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“Big Joke” says he needs 2 more days to catch Pattaya pool villa gunmen
UPDATE The Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, says he needs just two more days to catch the five gunmen who allegedly opened fire at a Pattaya pool villa yesterday morning. Surachate visited the scene of the crime yesterday and reviewed CCTV footage. He said he already knew the identities of the gunmen, and they…
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Druggie pays for 10 baht snack with a meth tablet
A store owner filed a complaint with the police after a druggie tried to pay for a 10-baht snack with a yaba, or methamphetamine, pill. The shop owner, Supaporn Kanya, filed a complaint at Mueng Udon Thani Police Station yesterday. The 40 year old woman has a small grocery store in the Baan Lueam sub-district of the Mueng district of…
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New Zealand gangster arrested in central Thailand
A gangster from New Zealand was arrested in central Thailand early this morning, after being on the run from the FBI and New Zealand Police. A New Zealand Police inspector confirmed to the New Zealand Herald that the gangster was arrested in Samut Prakan province in a joint operation with New Zealand Police, the FBI, and the Thai police. The…
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5 captives brainwashed by transwoman’s cult, 15 more victims file complaints
UPDATE A police investigation into the three women and two children held captive in a Bangkok condominium by a transwoman and her accomplice revealed they were brainwashed. More victims came forward after the story broke and filed complaints with the police against the suspects. The Commander of the Metro Police Detective Department, Teeradate Thamsutee, revealed more details about the case…
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Loved ones fear fate of Iranian climber who competed in Seoul without hijab
An Iranian rock climber, who competed in Seoul without a hijab, has loved ones worried as she hasn’t been seen since the competition. According to The Guardian, friends have been unable to contact Elnaz Rekabi since she supposedly returned home with the rest of the team on Sunday. Rekabi took part in the Asian Championships without wearing a hijab, which…
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Drug dealing police spy says he gets rewarded with drugs
A drug dealer revealed on a Channel 3 news programme that he has worked as a Thai police spy for 20 years and gets rewarded for each successful drug bust he’s involved in with a percentage of the haul to traffic and resell. The Channel 3 report on drugs in Thailand highlighted how some drug dealers and users successfully concealed…
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WANTED: Soldier put away for selling meth escapes from prison in northern Thailand
A prisoner is on the loose after escaping from Fort Surasakmontri in Military Province 32 in Lampang province, northern Thailand, at 6.30am today. The soldier was imprisoned for selling methamphetamine. If you see him contact the police right away. The 26 year old soldier, Supawut “Kwan” Sopapeng, escaped while officers were transporting him somewhere for further investigation this morning. Villagers…
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Serial thief blames prison friends for planning robberies
Thai police last night swooped to arrest a serial thief and seized stolen assets of over 10 million baht in the process at a condominium in Bangkok. Officers also uncovered detailed plans for future robberies. The thief protested his innocence, claiming his friends in prison had planned everything for him. Police arrested 48 year old Bualuang Wangkeyree last night at…
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Porsche-driving Frenchmen who put Thai man in a coma denied bail
UPDATE The Porsche-driving Frenchmen who gave a Thai man a brain hemorrhage in Koh Samui, Surat Thani province, southern Thailand, has been denied bail. Officers from Borphut Police Station arrested 34 year old Vincent Raymond Bugeya and 28 year old Julien Gerard Rene Vincent under suspicion of “joint assault causing serious harm” as well as “driving a car with a…
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