Police raided to rescue two students from a prominent university in the Rangsit area, victims of a call center gang that staged their confinement and forced them to trick their parents into transferring 450,000 baht each, claiming they had received scholarships abroad. The mother became suspicious and quickly searched for her children.
At 13:00 on 15 July 2026, Police Colonel Phatthanchai Phomornphibun, Chief of Pak Khlong Rangsit Police Station, along with Police Lieutenant Colonel Siraphop Bualuang, Deputy Chief of the Investigation Division, and Police Lieutenant Colonel Ittipol Phuttharaksa, Investigator, held a press conference announcing the successful operation to rescue two second-year students from a well-known university in the Rangsit area who had been victims of a call center gang. The gang had deceived them into self-confinement and extorted 450,000 baht from each victim.
Police Colonel Phatthanchai revealed that the call center gang tricked the students by claiming they had received scholarships to study abroad, even sending forged documents purportedly from the university to confirm this.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Siraphop added that this case involved a staged kidnapping to demand ransom. Investigations showed the perpetrators’ phone signals originated abroad. Earlier that morning, officials reviewed CCTV footage revealing that Mr. Tae (alias), 19, one of the victims, left his dormitory late morning the previous day to go to a resort in Lak Hok Subdistrict, Mueang District, Pathum Thani Province, before moving to another nearby dormitory.
Police tracked down Mr. Tae’s motorcycle parked outside the second dormitory. Upon inspection, they found Mr. Tae and Mr. Pleum (alias), 19, both second-year students at the same university. Mr. Pleum was found with his ankles tied by a towel. The call center gang was still monitoring the students via video call continuously. The officers identified themselves and safely rescued both around 10:00 that morning. They warned parents that police will never use video calls to demand money transfers.
Ms. Duennuan Muanglaythong, 45, mother of Mr. Pleum, recounted that last Sunday her son called requesting 350,000 baht, saying he was excited to go abroad. She gathered the money and transferred it. Later, her son said he couldn’t withdraw 100,000 baht from another account, resulting in a total loss of 450,000 baht. She video-called him daily, inquiring about the money. Then, she received a call from the gang demanding additional expenses abroad. Suspecting fraud, she investigated and found the university professor’s Facebook was fake. She hurried to find her son, and police later informed her they had rescued him.
Meanwhile, Mr. Ta (alias), 23, a fourth-year student and relative of Mr. Tae, said that Mr. Tae’s parents contacted him to check the dormitory after being unable to reach their son and receiving reports that he was tied up and held for ransom. Mr. Ta requested a key card from the dormitory but found no one there, so he filed a police report at 17:00 on Tuesday. Furthermore, last Sunday Mr. Tae had called Mr. Ta’s father to borrow 50,000 baht. When Mr. Ta visited Mr. Tae’s room, he found him speaking on the phone with someone else. Today, police successfully rescued both friends and relatives.
