Teen Arrested for Luring, Sexually Assaulting 13-Year-Old via Facebook
Police have arrested a 19-year-old man in Khon Kaen for luring a 13-year-old girl via Facebook and sexually assaulting her in Nonthaburi last year. The suspect fled and evaded capture for a year before being tracked down by the Child and Women Protection Division. He has confessed to all charges, prompting police to warn the public about online predators targeting minors.
The Child and Women Protection Division arrested a 19-year-old man who lured a 13-year-old girl via Facebook, sexually assaulted her at a rental room in Nonthaburi in 2025, then fled to Khon Kaen. On November 11, 2026, Pol. Lt. Col. Piyarat Wessakoson, together with Pol. Lt. Col. Narathip Kongphet and Pol. Lt. Col. Waraprach Wuttitharak, deputy commanders of the CWPD, directed Pol. Lt. Col. Yotsachin Prasertsopha, superintendent of CWPD Sub-Division 2, to lead an operational team to arrest Mr. Rathaphum, 19, pursuant to a Nonthaburi Provincial Court warrant (No. 1484/2025 dated November 3, 2025). The charges include sexual assault of a child under 15 who is not the offender's spouse, taking a child under 15 for sexual purposes even with consent, and removing a child under 15 from parents, guardians, or custodians without just cause for sexual purposes. The suspect was apprehended on Mittraphap Road in Ban Phai District, Khon Kaen.
Acting on national police policy and Metropolitan Police Bureau orders to accelerate the pursuit of suspects in sexual offenses, under the command of Pol. Maj. Gen. Sayam Boonsom, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Pol. Maj. Gen. Palap Aemla, Deputy Commissioner, and Pol. Col. Thanachot Rueakdee, Superintendent of Division 4, the investigative team tracked Mr. Rathaphum after he fled the scene of the crime in Nonthaburi in 2025. Investigation revealed he had been hiding in Ban Phai District, Khon Kaen, for one year until his capture.
During questioning, the suspect confessed to all allegations. He stated he met the 13-year-old victim through Facebook, initiated conversation, arranged a meeting, and lured her to a rental room where he sexually assaulted her. After learning the victim's relatives had filed a police report, he fled Nonthaburi and lived in Khon Kaen for a year before being arrested by CWPD officers.
Given the pattern of online grooming targeting minors who have not reached legal age, the Child and Women Protection Division urges the public to exercise caution on social media, avoid trusting strangers who may attempt to build intimacy for criminal purposes, and report suspicious behavior to authorities.
