BREAKING: Fourteen Thai nationals arrested after fleeing Cambodia amid scam crackdown

Photo: Nation Thailand

SA KAEO, Jan 21, 2026 — Thai border authorities have arrested 14 Thai nationals who illegally crossed back into Thailand from Cambodia, with officials saying the group is suspected of involvement in online gambling and scam operations targeting Thai citizens.

Rangers from Company 1206 of the Burapha Task Force, working with the Aranyaprathet Special Task Unit, detained the group during an evening patrol near the Thai–Cambodian border in Aranyaprathet district, Sa Kaeo province, police said.

Authorities said the detainees — nine men and five women — told investigators they fled Cambodia following a recent crackdown by Cambodian authorities on suspected scam centres and online gambling operations. Thirteen carried Thai national identity cards, while one held a document for a person without civil registration.

Thai officials said preliminary questioning indicated the group had allegedly worked as administrators or facilitators for online gambling and scam websites, with Thai victims among those targeted. The suspects were taken into custody for questioning and face charges related to illegal border crossing, with further investigations under way into alleged cybercrime offences.

The Nation Thailand