BANGKOK – Thai police have stepped up their operations to reduce crimes involving foreigners, with a strong focus on drug offences, fraud, cybercrime, and breaches of local laws. Authorities have made it clear they will not tolerate illegal acts by foreign nationals.
In Bangkok, officers from the Technology Crime Suppression Division displayed a data cable believed to have been used to install malware in ATMs, making the machines dispense extra cash.
A Bulgarian man, Ivan Valchev, 50, was arrested at a rented home in Tambon Bang Phlap, Pak Kret district. Police believe he is connected to a foreign group that used malware-infected cables to target several ATMs in Nonthaburi, causing them to release more money than customers requested.
During the arrest, police seized the cables and other tools linked to the ATM thefts. The total amount taken was not disclosed.
This operation followed a complaint made in March by an unnamed financial institution. Reports suggested that a group, posing as ATM technicians, used a master key to open the machines, remove the original data cables, and replace them with cables loaded with malware.
Investigators explained that the new cable carried malware known as Jackpot, which disrupted the ATM’s operations, so it delivered more cash than requested. CCTV footage showed that two or three individuals, using a rented white Honda City, visited several bank branches. Altogether, 13 ATMs were affected.
Officers tracked the suspects over time, which led to Valchev’s arrest. He denied any wrongdoing, stating he only opened the machines and owned the equipment himself.
In a separate case, police detained a Chinese man in Pattaya, accused of running a fake online marketplace. Officers confiscated assets worth around 9 million baht.
The suspect, referred to only as Li, 30, was found at a condominium in Na Kluea, Bang Lamung district, Chon Buri. The arrest followed a report from a person who joined a Facebook group called World Dealing Market, which had over 200 members trading second-hand goods.
Group members were told to pay a joining fee of 189 baht, with the promise that it would be refunded. The admin then sent a website link and password.
The victim believed the website was fake, but the admin claimed to have a legally registered business and told the victim to complete three transactions to activate the account.
The victim paid a total of 20,700 baht, but later discovered they could not withdraw any money. The admin then asked for another 50,000 baht to fix the “system”. At this point, the victim realized it was a scam.
Police followed the money trail and found that cash was withdrawn in Pattaya by a third party, who allegedly handed it to Li.
During the raid, officers seized 746,530 baht in cash, three vehicles, five mobile phones, two bank books, and some luxury items, adding up to more than 9 million baht. Li denied all accusations and remains in custody while investigations continue.
Meanwhile, a late-night police operation in Bangkok’s Sukhumvit area led to the arrest of 15 women from four countries for alleged prostitution. Police from Lumpini station, Immigration Division 1, and Metropolitan Police Division 5 targeted Sukhumvit Soi 4, also known as Soi Nana, around 10:30 pm on Tuesday.
The operation resulted in the arrest of nine Vietnamese women, four Tanzanians, one Kenyan, and one Thai. They have been charged with causing a public nuisance, according to Pol Maj Gen Witthawat Shinkham, head of Metropolitan Police Division 5.
In Bangkok’s Sukhumvit Soi 4 (Nana), police arrested 21 individuals, including Vietnamese, Uzbek, and Thai nationals, on May 26, 2025, followed by another raid on May 27, detaining 15 women from Vietnam, Tanzania, and Kenya.
Foreign sex workers often face harsher penalties than locals, including visa revocation and deportation, and are sometimes targeted to protect the local sex trade and improve Thailand’s tourism image.
