16 Chinese scam suspects arrested after illegal border crossing from Cambodia

2026-02-13 - 03:36

SA KAEO — 13 February 2026, A joint border patrol in Sa Kaeo province arrested 16 Chinese nationals who allegedly entered Thailand illegally through a natural border crossing in Aranyaprathet district, seizing 266 mobile phones and one notebook computer. Authorities believe the group may have fled Poipet and attempted to relocate operations into Thailand. Authorities believe the group may have fled Poipet and attempted to relocate operations into Thailand. According to reports from the Khlong Hat Task Force, a patrol team from Ranger Company 1305, working with the Khlong Hat Task Force cavalry unit and the Burapha Task Force’s Company 3, was conducting surveillance along the Thai–Cambodian border shortly after midnight when officers spotted a group of individuals carrying luggage and walking through a natural passage into Thailand. The group was intercepted between border markers 72 and 73 near Ban Khlong Wa Mai, Moo 7, Thap Phrik subdistrict, Aranyaprathet district, approximately 1 km from the borderline. Officials identified the group as 16 Chinese nationals — 15 men and one woman — all of whom were unable to produce passports or valid travel documents upon request. Suspects are seated as police search their belongings A search of their belongings uncovered 266 mobile phones and one notebook computer. None of the suspects claimed ownership of the devices. Through an interpreter, the suspects told authorities they had previously travelled to Poipet, Cambodia, where they worked as administrators for scam-related online pages. They claimed their employer was preparing to transfer them to another location or a third country against their will, prompting them to plan a return to China via Thailand. Investigators said the group hired a Cambodian broker to transport them to the banks of Khlong Nam Sai canal at a rate of 3,500 baht per person before crossing illegally into Thailand. They then trekked through sugarcane fields until they were apprehended. All 16 suspects were taken to Ranger Company 1305 in Ban Khlong Sombun, Moo 2, Thap Phrik subdistrict, before being handed over, along with the seized items, to investigators at Khlong Nam Sai Police Station in Sa Kaeo for further legal proceedings. Police photograph the suspects alongside their belongings