An online clothing seller has called for justice after her husband was arrested and received back property unrelated to drugs, but was given fake gold instead. Police Region 5 Commander has established a fact-finding committee.
At 1:00 p.m. on 4 June 2026, Mr. Ronarong Kaewphet, chairman of the Foundation for Justice Reclamation in Society, along with Acting Sub-Lieutenant Raphasit Pattarasirichai, vice-chairman of the foundation, accompanied Ms. Chaniporn Charoenphum, aka Manow, 27, an online clothing vendor, presenting various documents to Pol. Maj. Gen. Witawat Chinkham, Commander of Metropolitan Police Division 5; Pol. Col. Phisit Meewiriyakul, Superintendent of Khlong Tan Police Station; and Pol. Lt. Col. Kitti Yangmee, Deputy Superintendent (Investigation) of Khlong Tan Police Station.
They sought updates on the case in which Khlong Tan Police's investigation unit arrested Mr. Watthanapong Boonprakob, aka Bang Auan, 42, her husband, under a drug-related warrant and seized property for inspection unlawfully.
Before meeting the police, Ms. Chaniporn said that on the morning of 25 June 2025, while she and her husband were resting in their condominium room in Soi Pattanakarn 20, under Khlong Tan police jurisdiction, eight officers from the investigation unit, led by Sub-Lieutenant Ittikorn, Deputy Investigation Officer of Khlong Tan Police, entered with an arrest warrant for her husband linked to drugs, alleging money transfers to him. They searched the room but found no illegal items. They seized a 5-baht gold necklace worn by her husband and a 3-baht gold bracelet she was wearing.
Additionally, they confiscated 60,000 baht in cash, a Tag Heuer wristwatch, and over ten other watches, as well as an iPad found in the room, claiming these assets might be connected to her husband’s drug involvement. On the day of seizure, the officers did not sign a receipt for the seized property.
Ms. Chaniporn added that she tried to explain that all the property was earned through hard work and had no connection to drugs. She asked the officers, “Are you going to rob me?” but they shouted at her to stay quiet or risk being arrested herself.
After the incident, she attempted to file a complaint with the Khlong Tan police investigation officers, but no one accepted it, saying the police were just doing their duty. She felt justice was denied as officers refused to take her report. She learned that the investigation unit had already sent her property as evidence to the investigation inspector. When she inquired, she was told all evidence must be retained for examination first.
In July 2025, after her husband was granted bail by the court, the police contacted him to collect over ten seized watches (mostly counterfeit) during the investigation, denying drug involvement. However, the Tag Heuer wristwatch was not returned.
She later submitted a letter and filed a complaint seeking justice with the Office of the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC). The PACC found the police acted improperly and forwarded the case to the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) for investigation. Subsequently, on 9 February 2026, the ONCB sent her a letter to collect her 3-baht gold bracelet and iPad deemed unrelated to drugs, with Ms. Ketsuda (surname unknown), a senior investigator at ONCB, acting as the intermediary to return the assets.
Upon seeing the returned bracelet, she was shocked because it was not her bracelet’s design. The purity certificate showed the gold was only 25% pure.
The police document stated the seized bracelet weighed 42.63 grams, but the returned gold weighed 55 grams. She refused to accept it, but officers told her to sign the receipt first, promising to testify if the gold turned out to be fake. She also found police documents listing seized items submitted to ONCB for inspection, including a 5-baht gold necklace, a 3-baht gold bracelet, 10,000 baht cash (discrepant from the 60,000 baht originally seized), and one iPad, but no Tag Heuer wristwatch.
After filing complaints with several agencies, she was threatened by Khlong Tan police officers via phone to stop her complaints or face trouble. She insisted she has purchase receipts from the gold shop and that before the arrest, she pawned and redeemed all the gold at a pawnshop nine days prior to the arrest. The gold was genuine and definitely not fake.
Ms. Chaniporn added that on 4 March, she went to Khlong Tan Police Station to file a complaint about receiving a fake 3-baht gold bracelet. The police told her to find evidence and referred her to ONCB. ONCB in turn told her to ask the police. As a result, she has yet to file an official complaint about this matter.
Regarding the criminal case against her husband Bang Auan, she said it should proceed according to the law. She is not involved, and thus her property should not be implicated. Recently, the lower court sentenced him to four years and six months in prison; the appeal is currently underway.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Witawat said after nearly an hour-long meeting that the case is under fact-finding investigation. Initial talks with Ms. Chaniporn suggest the search was properly authorized with a valid warrant, but there is an issue concerning the seized property. A committee has been formed to investigate directly, led by Pol. Col. Poomyos Lekkla, Deputy Commander of Metropolitan Police Division 5. Tomorrow, 5 June at 10:00 a.m., Ms. Chaniporn will be summoned for further questioning. The matter is expected to be clarified soon.
Mr. Ronarong Kaewphet, chairman of the Foundation for Justice Reclamation in Society, said the case appears to involve a process with perpetrators likely including police officers and officials, along with threats against the victim.