Police Arrest Notorious Scam Ringleader in Pumpkin Seed Betting Fraud
Police arrested a 71-year-old woman, the ringleader of a pumpkin seed betting scam that defrauded a Phuket man of over 9 million baht. The gang posed as land buyers and betting contacts to build trust before manipulating games and extractin
On August 20, 2025, police arrested Tiwali, alias 'Grandma So,' a 71-year-old woman wanted under court warrants from Phuket Provincial Court and Kalasin Provincial Court on charges of conspiracy to commit fraud and illegal gambling operation. She was apprehended in Phuket city.
The victim initially advertised land for sale in Phuket worth approximately 2 million baht. A gang posing as potential buyers, including figures known as 'Dom' and 'So,' approached the victim to build trust. When the victim showed serious interest, they introduced him to 'Hong,' a supposed wealthy woman with large cash holdings and a fondness for pumpkin seed betting.
The gang member 'Tiger' then convinced the victim to invest in betting games, teaching him what appeared to be winning strategies. In the initial rounds, the gang deliberately lost several times to encourage the victim to increase his bets. During the sixth round with much higher stakes, they secretly removed a pumpkin seed to manipulate the outcome in Hong's favor.
When results did not match expectations, Tiger blamed the victim for losing a seed, claiming he was responsible for the loss and must repay all bets. Using this deception repeatedly, the gang extracted over 9 million baht from the victim.
Upon realizing he had been defrauded, the victim filed a complaint. Police obtained arrest warrants and apprehended multiple gang members, including Tiwali. During initial questioning, she denied all charges. However, a criminal records check revealed she is a professional scammer with a 15-year history involving numerous cases nationwide, causing total damages exceeding 64 million baht. She was detained and referred for prosecution.
