Vietnamese Fugitive Nabbed in Phuket Over $150M Property Scam
Vietnamese national Tang Ngoc Nho was arrested in Phuket after hiding there under an Interpol red notice for allegedly defrauding victims of over 150 million baht in a real‑estate scheme. Thai police, acting on orders from senior immigration officials, detained him at a Chalong shopping mall and are preparing his extradition to Vietnam. The capture took place during Operation MAHARLIKA 5, a joint Thai‑Interpol drive targeting red‑notice individuals ahead of the World Bank meeting in the country.
Police Lieutenant General Noppharat Punsawat, Deputy Police Lieutenant General Thanut Thaiwacharamas, and Police Major General Sarawut Khonjai directed a joint team comprising Phuket Immigration, tourist police, the Special Branch, and Interpol to locate and arrest Tang Ngoc Nho. Vietnamese authorities said Tang had been entrusted to sell land and property in ten projects valued at about 80 billion dong (around 150 million baht). After selling the assets, he kept the money and fled the country. He was sought by police in Lao Cai province, where an arrest warrant was issued on May 12, 2026, and Interpol subsequently issued a red notice. The Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand coordinated with Thai police, who confirmed Tang had entered Thailand legally and was still within his permitted stay, but his permission was later cancelled. Investigators found he was hiding in Phuket, and officers apprehended him at a shopping mall in the Chalong area. He was taken to detention Unit 3 of the Immigration Bureau’s Special Branch for processing and awaiting deportation to Vietnam. The arrest is part of Operation MAHARLIKA 5, a national‑Interpol effort running from October 5 to 8, 2026, aimed at red‑notice subjects and cross‑border threats in the Asia‑Pacific region, and at boosting security ahead of the World Bank meeting in Thailand. Vietnamese police added that Tang had a similar case in 2020 causing about 15 billion dong in losses, and that additional land‑sale deals are under investigation, with estimated damages of around 200 billion dong (about 260 million baht).
