Worker Posed as Professor to Lure Teens for Obscene Files
Thai Department of Special Investigation officers arrested a 26‑year‑old hotel employee who pretended to be a university professor to trick teenage boys into sending explicit images and videos, allegedly for a sexuality research project. The raid uncovered more than 5,000 obscene files, including thousands of child pornography images, and led to the seizure of electronic devices. The suspect is now facing charges after being handed over to the Criminal Court.
The DSI operation, named 'Black Research', resulted in the arrest of a hotel employee who falsely claimed to be a professor from a well‑known university, conducting sexuality research to lure male high school students aged 15‑17 into sending pornographic images and videos, and coercing them into sexual acts under the pretense of data collection. Investigators found over 5,000 obscene files, including more than 3,000 child pornography images and about 2,000 adult pornography files, and seized a laptop, two mobile phones, and a tablet. The suspect was apprehended at a condominium in Bangkok’s Charoen Nakorn area on October 2, 2026, pursuant to a criminal court warrant (No. 5933/2569) in Special Case 18/2569, and was transferred to the Criminal Court on October 14, 2026 for prosecution. The investigation began after the child‑protection group OUR RESCUE supplied information in June 2025, following complaints that the suspect, identified only as Banchana, had deceived students from prominent schools by posing as a university researcher and requesting explicit material. The scheme dates back to 2019, when he first contacted victims through an online survey about sexuality, later fabricating university documents and creating fake LINE accounts using professors’ names to gain trust. Victims were persuaded to send nude photos and videos of themselves and to record sexual acts as instructed via LINE; some were also lured to meet at various locations, including the suspect’s residence, under the guise of data gathering.
