The suspect, identified by police as Sahachat Chuaybamrung, was arrested on Saturday (July 18) at a room in Talad Yai, Phuket Town, under a search warrant issued by the Phuket Provincial Court and an arrest warrant from the Surat Thani Provincial Court.
The operation was led by officers from CCIB Division 5 in cooperation with investigators from Provincial Police Region 8.
Police seized 80 methamphetamine pills (ya bah), a .380 handgun, a magazine, 64 rounds of ammunition, a desktop computer, a laptop and four mobile phones during the raid.
According to police, the investigation began after an online game and mobile phone top-up service reported suspicious activity in June.
Investigators allege the suspect exploited vulnerabilities in the company’s payment system by creating fake user accounts and generating fraudulent payment confirmations, allowing credit to be added to accounts without actual payments being made.
The fake credit was then allegedly used to purchase online game top-up codes, causing the company financial losses estimated at more than B200,000.
Police said their investigation identified Sahachat as the suspect, who had allegedly fled to Phuket. A background check also revealed he was wanted under five outstanding arrest warrants for offences including robbery, fraud and violations of the Computer Crime Act.
Officers tracked him to an apartment in Phuket Town, where they said he resisted arrest before being taken into custody.
During questioning, police said Sahachat told investigators he had completed only Grade 6 but had developed advanced computer skills through self-study.
According to police, he admitted initially attempting to hack government computer systems in an effort to remove his own arrest warrant after learning about hacking techniques with the assistance of AI chatbots. When those attempts failed, he allegedly turned his attention to websites with exploitable security weaknesses, including online top-up platforms.
Police said he later moved to Phuket, where he worked as a freelance hacker before his arrest.
Sahachat has been charged with multiple offences, including theft, receiving stolen property, several Computer Crime Act violations, possession of methamphetamine for sale, and illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.
The investigation is continuing.