"Deputy Tao" led a team from related agencies to launch the "Snake in the Grass" operation, arresting an extortionist who invaded the Deputy Director-General of the Royal Rainmaking Department’s office, demanding money while claiming he could influence case outcomes to get the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to dismiss the case.
At 14:00 on 25 Mar 2026 GMT+7, at the press briefing room on the 2nd floor of the Crime Suppression Division (CSD), Pol. Maj. Gen. Jaroonkiat Pankaew, Deputy Commander of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Pol. Maj. Gen. Prasong Chalermpan, Commander of the Anti-Corruption Division, Pol. Col. Panumas Saengsong, Superintendent of the 1st Anti-Corruption Division, Mr. Kiattisak Puttapan, Assistant Secretary of the NACC and Deputy Spokesperson, Pol. Lt. Col. Siripong Sritula, Deputy Secretary of the Office of the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission, and Mr. Rachen Silapapray, Director-General of the Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation Department, led the arrest of Mr. Sarayut Wongniam, 41, under an arrest warrant from the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct No. J.7/69 dated 20 Mar 2026, on charges of soliciting or agreeing to accept assets or benefits as a bribe for oneself or others to induce or influence an official, legislator, provincial or municipal council member by corrupt or illegal means to perform or omit duties to benefit or harm any person. The arrest took place inside the Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation Department, Lat Yao Subdistrict, Chatuchak District, Bangkok.
This arrest followed Deputy Director-General Mr. Paijit Kaokla reporting to investigators from the 1st Anti-Corruption Division, stating that on 18 Dec 2025, Mr. Sarayut, using the alias “Surachai,” contacted him by phone and visited his workplace, claiming close connections with NACC members and promising to help end an ongoing NACC investigation involving Mr. Paijit concerning alleged bid-rigging in a 2022 building renovation project, assuring the case could be dismissed.
Initially, Mr. Sarayut negotiated to receive 1.5 million baht as a processing fee and presented documents related to the investigation to the Deputy Director-General to establish credibility, asserting the documents were genuine. Subsequent negotiations continued, with the amount requested adjusted to between 2 and 3 million baht.
On Monday, 23 Mar 2026, Mr. Sarayut called again to urge payment. Authorities arranged a meeting at the Deputy Director-General’s office, where a 200,000 baht deposit was handed over before officers revealed themselves and made the arrest.
During interrogation, Mr. Sarayut confessed, claiming he was a construction contractor currently in financial difficulty and was persuaded by a friend to undertake the act for a fee of 10,000 to 20,000 baht. He was handed over to the 1st Anti-Corruption Division for prosecution, with investigations ongoing to identify other involved parties.
Mr. Kiattisak stated that nearly all NACC investigations are made public, and the documents released pertain only to preliminary reviews; multiple further steps remain before cases conclude. This openness allowed criminals to misuse the documents to commit such offenses.
Reports indicate that the Royal Rainmaking Department’s case currently before the NACC relates to renovations on the 6th floor in 2022, which prompted a complaint leading to an initial NACC inquiry. No verdict has been reached, and the construction value was far less than the 15 million baht allegedly solicited.