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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  • Gunman surrenders after holding Phuket woman hostage for 4 hours

    Gunman surrenders after holding Phuket woman hostage for 4 hours

    A man who held a Phuket shopkeeper hostage at gunpoint has surrendered following a 4 hour stand-off with police. Nation Thailand reports that the incident occurred in the sub-district of Srissontorn last night. Police say they had earlier pursued a group of teenagers wanted for drugs offences. 1 of the suspects ran into a motorbike repair shop near the Banya…

  • Parents press ahead with class-action against school at centre of abuse claims

    Parents press ahead with class-action against school at centre of abuse claims

    A school in the central province of Nonthaburi is facing a class-action lawsuit from parents, amid allegations of abuse at the facility. The claims originally came to light when a teacher was captured on CCTV physically abusing students in her care. In the footage, Ornuma Plodprong, aka, “Khru Jum”, can be seen repeatedly hitting students, pushing one to the floor,…

  • 6 people found guilty for “pretty” Bangkok model’s death

    6 people found guilty for “pretty” Bangkok model’s death

    A man has been sentenced to 8 years in prison for the death of Thitima “Lunlabelle” Noraphanpiphat, a 25 year old model who was found dead last year in the lobby of a Bangkok condominium. Rachadech “Nam Oon” Wongthabutr was found guilty of illegally detaining Lunlabelle and leaving her dead body in the condominium. 5 other people were found guilty…

  • Royalist hospital director threatened with fake gun

    Royalist hospital director threatened with fake gun

    The director of Bangkok’s Mongkulwattana Hospital has brushed off an incident in which a man threatened him with a fake gun. Rienthong Nanna says the perpetrator probably has mental health issues, after the man showed up in the outpatient department brandishing a gun, which turned out to be fake. “The man was arrested and charged with several serious offences, and…

  • Royal Thai Police form new bureau to investigate cybercrime

    Royal Thai Police form new bureau to investigate cybercrime

    The Royal Thai Police have formed a new organisation to investigate cyber-related crimes. Commissioner of the new Cybercrime Investigation Bureau, Kornchai Klaiklueng, says they will work with international counterparts, but officers need to train first before dealing with transnational cybercrime investigations. The bureau is short on staff and still needs to recruit more officers before it can begin operations, according…

  • Thai police to verify “Boss” whereabouts with UAE embassy

    Thai police to verify “Boss” whereabouts with UAE embassy

    Following recent reports that the elusive Red Bull heir, Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, is living in Dubai, Thai police say they’re writing to the UAE embassy to verify the claims (the embassy is in Witthayu road… we can send you the address if you need so you can ‘drop in’ and have a chat). Boss is wanted in relation to a…

  • Kratom a step closer to legalisation for medicinal use

    Kratom a step closer to legalisation for medicinal use

    Kratom, a plant known for its psychotropic and relaxing effects, is in the process of being legalised in Thailand for medicinal use. The Cabinet just approved the Justice Ministry’s bill to amend the Kratom Act which would legalise production as well as importation and exportation of kratom. The bill will be forwarded to the Office of the Council of State…

  • Where’s Boss? Wanted Red Bull heir spotted in Dubai

    Where’s Boss? Wanted Red Bull heir spotted in Dubai

    Some say they’ve spotted the wanted Red Bull heir in Dubai. Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya has an Interpol Red Notice out for his arrest and is wanted for allegedly killing a police officer in 2012 when he sped his Ferrari through Bangkok’s Thong Lo area, allegedly running over and dragging the police officer down the street. While Thai media reported the…

  • Man arrested for posing as air force pilot, conning woman out of 800,000 baht

    Man arrested for posing as air force pilot, conning woman out of 800,000 baht

    A 44 year old man has been arrested in the northern province of Sukothai, after claiming to be a pilot with the Royal Thai Air Force and cheating his girlfriend out of 800,000 baht. Thai Residents reports that the man, named only as Prapol, denies all the charges against him. The victim, named only as Miss A, says she met…

  • Chiang Mai woman arrested for allegedly hiring hitman to kill her ex-husband

    Chiang Mai woman arrested for allegedly hiring hitman to kill her ex-husband

    A 63 year old Chiang Mai woman has been arrested for allegedly hiring a hitman to kill her ex-husband because she wanted his life insurance payout. Bualoi Tala is also being investigated for her alleged involvement in other possible murders after a number of people died after being poisoned and Bualoi received payouts from their life insurance policies. Police say…

  • Attackers of hospital emergency ward receive prison sentences

    Attackers of hospital emergency ward receive prison sentences

    Attackers of a hospital’s emergency ward in July have received prison sentences from the Samut Prakan Court. The 2 men attacked medical staff at the emergency ward at Vibharam Chaiprakarn Hospital in Phra Pradaeng district, south of Bangkok, on the night of July 19. The incidents were due to 2 rival gangs fighting with members showing up at the hospital…

  • Phuket police to use hospital blood tests to confirm drivers’ alcohol levels

    Phuket police to use hospital blood tests to confirm drivers’ alcohol levels

    Phuket police are using hospital blood tests to confirm drivers’ alcohol levels after the national police chief suspended checkpoints due to “transparency issues”. Arayapan Pukbuakhao, the island’s police deputy commander, is warning that police will continue to arrest and charge drink drivers despite the absence of roadside tests. All roadside blood alcohol checkpoints were cancelled last weekend through to October…

  • Pattani ranger volunteer killed in bomb explosion, 2 others shot in ambush

    Pattani ranger volunteer killed in bomb explosion, 2 others shot in ambush

    A ranger volunteer was killed from a bomb explosion after an ambush in Pattani’s Sai Buri district in Southern Thailand. Gunmen in the ambush shot and injured 2 volunteers. A team of officers protecting teachers were driving on motorcycles through the district when they were ambushed by gunmen, police say. The alleged gunmen opened fire on the group, shooting 33 year…

  • Woman arrested for allegedly running illegal fashion braces business

    Woman arrested for allegedly running illegal fashion braces business

    Police arrested a 30 year old woman for allegedly selling and fitting fashion teeth braces. Officers say they seized more than 600 fashion braces and dental tools from the woman’s home in Nakhon Pathom, a province west of Bangkok. Natsuda Sriwichian ran the business out of room at the Salaya Eua Arthorn apartments in the Sam Phran district, according to…

  • 17 year old student allegedly raped 12 year old multiple times at Bangkok school

    17 year old student allegedly raped 12 year old multiple times at Bangkok school

    A 17 year old student allegedly admitted to police that he raped a 12 year old student multiple times at their school in Bangkok’s Nong Chok district. The teenager is facing charges of sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 15 and taking a minor somewhere against their will. The alleged sexual assault happened in August. The teenager…

  • Group of security guards allegedly gang up on 2 police officers

    Group of security guards allegedly gang up on 2 police officers

    A large group of security guards allegedly had a fight with 2 police officers at a popular seafood restaurant in Bangkok. It started when officers went to the restaurant as customers and started arguing with the table next to them. An officer poured water on a customer at the table and then security guards intervened, telling both men to come…

  • Man arrested for alleged involvement in tiger carcass sale

    Man arrested for alleged involvement in tiger carcass sale

    A 70 year old man was arrested for alleged involvement in the illegal wildlife trade. Yusup Sae Ma has been wanted since 2015 for his alleged role in the sale of a tiger carcass. Back in 2015, police at a checkpoint in Tak’s Mae Sot district found a female tiger carcass in a foam box in the trunk of a car…

  • Anti-corruption commission to re-investigate handling of “Boss” hit-and-run case

    Anti-corruption commission to re-investigate handling of “Boss” hit-and-run case

    The “Boss” hit-and-run saga drags on, with the National Anti-Corruption Commission saying it’s received a copy of an independent report on the handling of the case and plans to compare it with its own findings. The Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission has submitted its report to the NACC, with Niwatchai Kasemmongkol from the NACC saying it will be compared to the…

  • Pattaya woman accused of prostituting granddaughter to repay gambling debts

    Pattaya woman accused of prostituting granddaughter to repay gambling debts

    A 16 year old girl has been taken into care, amid reports her grandmother forced her to sleep with a loan shark and a friend to repay the older woman’s gambling debts. The 57 year old Pattaya woman faces charges of human trafficking and prostitution and a warrant has been issued for her arrest, as well as that of the…

  • 54 child abuse cases filed with police against Sarasas schools

    54 child abuse cases filed with police against Sarasas schools

    Police say there are now 54 cases of alleged child abuse at 10 branches of the Sarasas private schools. Complaints of alleged abuse flooded in after a kindergarten teacher at the Sarasas Witaed Ratchaphruek School in Nonthaburi, a suburb north of Bangkok, was caught on classroom surveillance footage allegedly pushing a student to the floor, dragging another across the room…

  • Ex-prisoner stabs 3 people when asked to put on a mask at Bangkok shopping mall

    Ex-prisoner stabs 3 people when asked to put on a mask at Bangkok shopping mall

    An ex-prisoner is back in custody after stabbing 3 people at a Bangkok shopping mall when he was asked to put on a face mask. A report in Nation Thailand says the 33 year old man has been incarcerated at Chiang Mai prison 3 times for robbery offences. It’s understood that when a security guard at The Mall, in the…

  • 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 allegedly abducted ex-girlfriend, posted photos of her handcuffed

    Man allegedly abducted ex-girlfriend, posted photos of her handcuffed

    Police are tracking down a man who allegedly abducted his ex-girlfriend and holding her captive, threatening to kill her. The 40 year old man allegedly posted photos of his 18 year old ex-girlfriend, handcuffed with a message to the woman’s family, saying he will kill them if they report to police. The woman has been missing since Tuesday. Her 19…

  • 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,…

  • More reports of alleged student abuse, parents file complaint against teacher

    More reports of alleged student abuse, parents file complaint against teacher

    More reports of teachers allegedly abusing their students have come to light after a Nonthaburi teacher was caught on video pushing a kindergarten student to the floor, pulling a student across the floor and repeatedly hitting other students. Now more classroom videos of teachers allegedly abusing their students are being widely shared online as well as photos of children’s marks…

  • 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,…