More than 50 police officers from Banglamung and Pattaya police stations worked together to bust a gang involved in begging and illegal gambling. The operation was performed on the morning of May 27.
Authorities initially focused their attention on a house on Sukhumvit Soi 7 in Nongprue subdistrict. As they got closer, they spotted two houses with metal roofs that were fenced off. After entering the first home, they encountered a Cambodian woman who matched the description of the wanted man. Police immediately showed her a warrant and provided a photo to identify her. In the first house, they also found five children, aged between one and eight.
When they moved to the second house, they met a Cambodian man and woman with two children. No personal identification documents were found during the search, so authorities detained all and transported them to Banglamung Police Station.
At the second location, a townhouse called Pornpimol on Soi Naklua 14, authorities made another major discovery. They found a group of Cambodian adults living with 11 children ranging from newborns to 8 years old. Their finds included items commonly associated with begging, such as cups and coins. No personal identification documents were found at this location either.
After showing arrest warrants, the police took the two men and three women into custody. One of them, who identified himself as 27-year-old Mr Oh, claimed to work at a hotel that did not require any paperwork.
He also admitted that some members of begging groups used the money from begging to engage in card games for entertainment.
Preliminary investigations revealed that these begging gangs used various means to enter the city illegally and strategically placed children in areas with high tourist traffic to solicit money or sympathy from locals and tourists. Their daily income is between 300 and 1,000 baht.
To address the situation, officials teamed up with the Chonburi Provincial Office of Social Development and Human Security and provincial children’s shelters to screen individuals, record personal histories, and investigate connections and relationships between the adults who claimed to be the children’s parents. Authorities plan to pursue allegations of human trafficking where a legal relationship cannot be established. Further investigations will be conducted to gather evidence of additional allegations.
