BANGKOK – A Toyota Fortuner carrying two Chinese nationals veered off a rural road in Kamphaeng Phet and slammed into a tree, killing everyone inside. Police later found 23 smartphones in several bags in the vehicle, along with phone sets and numbers arranged to match different US cities.
Police officers believe the items may be connected to an online scam or call center group.
The Toyota crash was reported at 6:20 a.m. on Jan. 22. Police Lt. Anon Rueangwong, an investigator at Phran Kratai Police Station, was sent to the scene on the Phran Kratai to Wang Prachop road near Ban Lan Krathing, Moo 4, Wang Khuong Subdistrict, Phran Kratai District.
The area is a two-lane road that runs through brushland and sits far from nearby communities. Not far from a curve, officers found a black Toyota Fortuner that had left the roadway and hit a roadside tree. The front and side of the SUV were heavily damaged, and the vehicle ended up facing back toward the road with its front partly protruding onto the pavement.
Phran Kratai District Chief Seksan Sarakan also went to the scene. Rescue volunteers from Sawang Kamphaeng Phet Thammasathan Foundation supported the police with personnel and vehicles.
Inside the Toyota Fortuner, responders found three people dead from the impact. The driver was later identified as 57-year-old Phanthip Semonmat, from Phakhao District, Loei Province. The other two victims were Chinese nationals who were riding as passengers.
Police also found multiple shoulder bags in the Toyota Fortuner. The bags contained 23 smartphones. Officers said the phones appeared to be sorted and paired with phone numbers tied to different US cities, including Miami and Texas.
The setup matched patterns often seen in online fraud networks, including call center and scammer operations.
Investigators reviewed CCTV from the road and said the SUV didn’t appear to be speeding. Even so, it suddenly left the roadway and struck the tree hard, with no signs of braking.
At this stage, police suspect the vehicle may have been hired to transport the two foreign passengers toward a neighboring country’s border. They’re also checking whether the license plate is legitimate or has been swapped, and they plan to expand the investigation to identify anyone involved.
Immigration police in Kamphaeng Phet added that the Toyota Fortuner had previously appeared on a watch list linked to cross-border labor smuggling. In November 2025, records showed it passing through Kamphaeng Phet, but officers were unable to intercept it. The same vehicle was later discovered in this fatal crash.
