Bangkok Busts Illegal ID Card Scheme at Dindaeng Flats
Police busted a scheme that illegally issued Thai ID cards to over 1,300 foreign nationals crammed into Bangkok apartment buildings, involving corrupt officials and Myanmar-based smuggling networks. The operation at Dindaeng flats revealed
On August 18, 2025, Deputy Interior Minister Vorasidit Liaengprasit chaired a press briefing at Dindaeng Police Station to announce results of the 'Sweeping the Heart of Bangkok' operation targeting a corruption network that had registered foreign nationals at Dindaeng apartment buildings to illegally obtain identity cards. The operation was initiated following the discovery of fraud at a civil registration office in Wang Noi district, Ayutthaya, where officials forged documents to issue Thai ID cards to foreign nationals and their children. A spot check of just three apartment units found 35 to 64 residents per room, totaling over 140 people; further inspection of 5,700 units at Dindaeng flats identified 44 additional rooms housing more than 16 foreigners each, affecting roughly 1,300 people. Officials described a coordinated smuggling operation involving Myanmar-based brokers who collected documents and names, Thai intermediaries, and corrupt government staff at the Dindaeng district office. The government has ordered immediate dismissal and criminal prosecution of all implicated officials and will pursue charges against all offenders involved. All fraudulent registry entries have been deleted from the civil database, and investigations are expanding to other areas.
