Police Bust Phone Shops in Yala, Arrest 3 Sellers of Ghost SIM Cards
Cyber police arrested three people in Yala's Betong district for illegally selling over 1,100 ghost SIM cards registered under false identities to Thai and Malaysian customers.
Cyber police have raided phone and SIM card shops in Yala, arresting three people suspected of illegally selling ghost SIM cards to Malaysian and Thai residents. Police seized more than 1,000 registered SIM cards from the suspects. The operation was launched on July 22, 2025, after officials discovered that the shops had been covertly selling pre-registered SIM cards to Malaysian and Thai customers in Yala province for an extended period. Officers conducted an undercover purchase, then executed searches at two phone shops in the Betong district, leading to the arrest of Kiartkhun (45), Achiranya (33), and Thitiya (48). All three suspects face charges under Thailand's Cybercrime Prevention and Suppression Act B.E. 2566, specifically for facilitating the sale of phone numbers registered under false identities that cannot be traced to actual users. A total of 1,184 ghost SIM cards were recovered. The suspects have been taken into custody and the case forwarded for prosecution.
