Police Bust Fake Thai ID Ring in Northern Thailand
Police launched Operation Northern Shadow, exposing a fraudulent civil‑registry ring that produced fake Thai IDs for Chinese nationals. The network, led by Yi Long, used false citizenship to move over 500 million baht and acquire property, while a Thai man identified as the “fake father” denied any relation to the family. Authorities plan to prosecute those involved and expand the probe.
The investigation showed that Yi Long holds a Thai ID beginning with the digit 5, having his name added to the household register in Wiang Chan, Chiang Rai, as early as 1989, with his most recent card issued in 2021. The case originated when Yi Long, his Chinese wife and child prepared to travel to China; immigration officers noticed the father’s name on the child’s documents did not match, halted the trip and ordered a DNA test on 2 August. The DNA results confirmed Yi Long, his wife and the child are biological parents, while the Thai man Wutthichai, who had registered as the child’s father, is not related. Lt Gen Nophasit Poolssawat said the fraud enabled the network to obtain Thai citizenship, register companies as Thai entities and purchase land without using a nominee. Officers found Yi Long had set up two firms selling goods at Wat Leng Noi Yi and used the proceeds to buy the luxury house searched in Wang Thonglang; over ten years his accounts moved more than 100 million baht and his wife’s Chinese account handled 481 million baht, totalling over 500 million baht, which officials view as a national‑security concern. During a press conference Lt Gen Nophasit disclosed LINE‑chat evidence in which Yi Long offered to make so‑called “0‑head” IDs for 120,000 baht, requiring a 25 percent deposit of 30,000 baht, with production said to take about one month in Fang district and the real card about three months later, balance paid on receipt. The Deputy Director‑General of the Provincial Administration Department, Witthaya Sirinukul, said Yi Long had been listed in the registry since 1989 and had obtained a second Thai ID that was later cancelled. Authorities intend to prosecute Yi Long, his Chinese wife and Wutthichai for civil‑registry fraud, false citizenship and illegal land ownership, and will broaden the investigation to any connected networks. Wutthichai, a 40‑year‑old from Chon Buri who was labelled the “fake father,” stated he never met the Chinese family before and only knew the woman from a brief relationship in 2012 while he was visiting Bangkok.
