Probe launched into Phuket police prostitution extortion

Maj Gen Sermphan confirmed the probe through an official police statement issued this afternoon (Mar 30).

The statement followed allegations posted on a Phuket Facebook group that a police officer at Thalang Police Station had threatened to charge the woman with prostitution if she failed to pay him money as “repayments” for her car seized in a raid in October last year.

The man returned to visit the woman at her house and threaten her again last Friday (Mar 25), the woman said.

The woman told the press today that in October last year a man had contacted her for a “personal service” and they agreed to meet at a hotel room in Phuket Town.

The woman and the man agreed to B1,500 for the service, she said.

The two were in a state of undress when seven police officers burst into the room. Only one of the officers was in police uniform. The rest said they worked with the Royal Thai Police Cyber Police division, she said.

The officers took photos and a video clip of the two before telling them to put their clothes back on, she added.

The raiding party then searched her pickup parked nearby and found her boyfriend’s BB gun and a knife, the woman said.

The officers then told her that the car would have to be seized as evidence.

However, the lead arresting officer explained that instead of taking her to Thalang Police Station, some six kilometres away, they could come to some arrangement.

The officer, who she called “Inspector T”, said he had checked with his superior officer, who had allegedly approved the arrangement as the officer was struggling financially supporting his family and looking after his elderly mother.

The officer said she could agree to pay a total of B20,000 in installments to get her car back, and not face charges, the woman said today.

She would have to sign an agreement to mark that the arrangement could be proved to be legal, she added.

The payments were to be made in monthly installments of B5,000.

The woman agreed, but when she later met the officer leading the raid to sign the agreement, the contract was for payment of B50,000, she said.

The woman decided to not pay any of the installments, prompting the officer to visit her family home last Friday (Mar 25). The officer was accompanied by another man, she said.

Angry, the officer threatened her with charges if she did not pay, she said.

He also threatened to post the video of her online if she continued to refuse to make the payments.

The woman took a photo of the two men in front of her home, prompting more angry response threatening her if she did not pay.

“Having been informed of the aforementioned matter, I have ordered the Superintendent of Thalang Police Station to conduct a preliminary investigation to determine whether or not any of the people involved were police officers or from any [government] agency, and to investigate the complaint to determine what action to take,” Maj Gen Sermphan said in his statement this afternoon.

“The offender is to be strictly prosecuted in accordance with the law, regardless of who the offender is,” he said.

A police superintendent ordered to investigate his own police man? The order in other words: "Sweep this under the carpet". Otherwise there would a general from Internal Affairs coming down from BKK. Gues a real investigation will open to much of a cesspool, meaning, it is not about 1 police man only. These boys in brown don't 'side job' alone.

Police investigating themselves? What could go wrong?

The Thalang police Chief has been ordered to investigate a Thalang policeman working for him.....I'll bet this will be a very thorough investigation indeed.....Probably as laser-focused as the investigation a few years back that found no prostitution in Pattaya. Not enough tourists around to scam. Now they are scamming Thais and getting caught more often. Same with the taxi scum.  

How many thousands of Thai women sell themselves to tourists here, especially when times are good. ALL of them are subjected to extortion by the brown bears in one form or another. It's been going on for more years than I care to count and will continue long in to the future. Why do Thai men prey on their women? Don't they realise the way they are is the main reason local women chase forei...

Wow, a rare spotlight into the dirty dealings of the RTP...things that likely go on every day in every department in every town. Being that the suspect is a cop, it will be interesting to see how the criminal in brown either protect the loser, or throw him under the bus. Either way, I feel bad for the poor prostitute, as she will likely need to pack up and disappear for her own safety.