Urgent: An arrest warrant has been issued for “Tone Bangkae” in a public fraud case involving a scam selling magnifying cameras. The Central Investigation Police raided his residence and workplace to arrest him.
At 10:00 a.m. on 6 Aug 2026 GMT+7, Pol. Maj. Gen. Tatsapoom Jaruprat, Commander of the Economic Crime Suppression Division, ordered Pol. Col. Chamnan Chanthat, Head of Division 4, to lead officers to search the home in Village 7, Bang Khu Wiang Subdistrict, Bang Kruai District, Nonthaburi Province, of Mr. Thonthong Sukkhaen, aka Tone Bangkae, a well-known amulet expert, to arrest him following an arrest warrant issued by the Criminal Court on charges of public fraud. The case arose after victims reported to the Economic Crime Suppression Division that they were deceived into purchasing the Zeiss Blue Marine magnifying camera, which Tone advertised at a high price.
The searches at both locations did not find Tone Bangkae. Initial information indicated he left the house at 11:00 p.m. on the night of 5 Aug 2026. Authorities are currently tracking him to arrest and prosecute.
This search and arrest stem from several victims filing complaints with investigators of Division 4, Economic Crime Suppression Division, after believing that Mr. Thonthong deceived them by selling the Zeiss Blue Marine magnifying camera. He claimed it was a special edition and that he was the first Thai to collaborate with the world-renowned lens company Zeiss of Germany on a global project commemorating Zeiss’s 175th anniversary.
Tone advertised that this special edition camera was a limited run of only 3,175 units. He also claimed the lens had superior sharpness and faster focusing than regular magnifying cameras to artificially increase the product’s value. This marketing created strong demand, pushing orders to nearly 20 million baht within a few days of opening pre-orders, despite the starting price being as high as 15,999 baht per unit.