Two Men Arrested for Luring Victims via Dating App, Impersonating Police to Extort Money and Steal Phones

On May 21, 2569, Deputy Commander Phuwadon Ounpodee of Buppharam Police Station announced the arrest of Kittipong Phumilaeng and Chaiyarat Visatakhet, who were wanted by Thonburi Criminal Court on charges of joint theft through deception posing as officials. The suspects targeted multiple victims using the Hornet gay dating app before defrauding them of valuables and cash.

In the first case (Criminal Case 98/2569), the victim met the suspect known as "Ice" on April 29, 2569 via Hornet and agreed to meet at a hotel on Lat Ya Road in Khlong San District, Bangkok. They spent time together in the room. The following morning on April 30, the suspect claimed police would inspect the victim's phone due to suspicious financial activity and tricked him into revealing his password. The suspects then transferred 13,600 baht from the victim's Kasikornbank account to a Krung Thai Bank account. The victim was later deceived again when someone posing as a police officer sent messages instructing him to hand over his phone for further investigation. After losing contact, the victim realized he had been scammed and filed a complaint.

In the second case (Criminal Case 97/2569), another victim met the suspect on May 1, 2569 and was invited to the same hotel. After leaving with the suspect, he received a message claiming police were searching the room and demanding 3,000 baht as a bribe. The victim only had 500 baht and transferred it as requested. The second suspect was captured on CCTV stealing the victim's backpack while leaving the hotel and escaped by motorcycle taxi. The first suspect also fled.

After gathering evidence, investigators obtained arrest warrants from Thonburi Criminal Court for both suspects, who were apprehended on May 21, 2569. The investigation is ongoing to determine if there are additional victims with similar experiences.