CHIANG RAI – Police in Phan District, Chiang Rai, arrested a man suspected of election vote-buying after stopping a suspicious sedan and finding a large amount of cash along with a list of voters.
The suspect, described as a former subdistrict administrative organization council member, admitted the money was meant to pay voters to support a parliamentary candidate.
On February 6, 2026, patrol officers at Phan Police Station received information from a local source about unusual activity tied to the election. The tip suggested that names were being collected and cash was being prepared for last-minute vote buying.
Officers then set up surveillance and tracked the movements of a group under suspicion.
Police later spotted a white Mazda sedan with Bangkok plates leaving a house in San Klang Subdistrict, Phan District, Chiang Rai. Officers identified the driver as a former local council member and searched for legal procedures.
Inside the car, officers found a large amount of cash and paperwork listing 124 eligible voters. The suspect reportedly confessed that he planned to distribute the money the next day to secure votes for a House of Representatives candidate from a political party in Chiang Rai.
In his statement, the suspect said someone he knew in the area contacted him and told him to pick up cash at the house. He claimed he brought the prepared voter list with him and received the money from people inside.
He described those at the house as two heavyset women and three men, estimated to be 30 to 40 years old, all wearing face masks. While the suspect was in custody, a phone call came in from a person he named. Officers recorded the details to support the investigation and to help trace any links to others involved.
Police listed the seized evidence as:
- Poll sheets tracking support for the candidate, 7 pages
- 500-baht banknotes, 128 bills
- 100-baht banknotes, 4 bills
- 1 mobile phone
All items were kept as evidence for the case file.
The suspect also claimed the operation was tied to a wider political network in the area and mentioned a political party that he believed could be connected to the funding. Police said they are still gathering evidence and have not made conclusions about any individual or party beyond the suspect.
Officers stated the arrest is part of a strict effort to prevent election fraud. The suspect and the evidence will be handed to investigators for legal action, and related agencies will be contacted for a deeper inquiry.
If police find the scheme involved more people or worked as an organized group, they said they will pursue charges to the fullest extent of the law.
