A military officer with the rank of **”Sergeant”** was arrested by police for allegedly deceiving female victims through dating apps before committing theft and extortion. Over 10 cases have been reported against him.
On October 22, 2024, police announced the arrest of 22-year-old Sgt. Supakorn Sutiwilai or “Film,” who had been on the run from military service. He was apprehended at a dormitory in Sakon Nakhon while chatting with a new victim on a dating app.
The arrest followed a military court warrant issued on October 11, 2024, based on allegations of theft and extortion. Stolen items recovered included one car and a laptop belonging to a 25-year-old victim, identified as Ms. Neung, in Udon Thani, who he had met on a dating app.
P.T. Ajahn Teemwong, deputy head of police in Udon Thani, reported that the officer had initially approached Ms. Neung through a dating app in early October 2024 and established contact via Instagram, presenting himself as gainfully employed.
After inviting her to his residence, Sgt. Supakorn stole Ms. Neung’s car and laptop after pretending to go to work on October 13, 2024. He later threatened her to transfer money or he would delete crucial data from her laptop.
Police investigated and confirmed that the suspect indeed had connections to the military but had been absent from duty since August 19, 2024. Multiple victims, mostly young women aged 20 to 30, reported similar incidents, leading to a total of more than 10 complaints against him.
Upon examining the suspect’s phone, investigators found he used dating apps Omi and Tinder to find victims. He had created multiple fake Facebook accounts to threaten and extort money from his targets, often videotaping those threats.
Sgt. Supakorn confessed to his crimes, revealing he intended to invest the stolen funds in Forex trading after losing 1 million baht in a previous investment. His criminal activities were a means to fund further investments.
Authorities have encouraged anyone else victimized by similar crimes to come forward and provide information to aid in ongoing investigations. The police aim to gather additional evidence and ensure public safety, particularly for young women.
This article was rewritten from a Thairath’s news article.
