The Crime Suppression Division launched Operation Ghost Buster, arresting a medium who was hired ...

The Crime Suppression Division (CSD) launched Operation Ghost Buster, arresting those hired to substitute players for the Thai national esports team at the 2025 SEA Games. The association president has ordered a lifetime ban. Today (February 13th), the Crime Suppression Division (CSD), led by Pol. Maj. Gen. Pattanasak Bubphasuwan, Commander of the CSD, along with Santi Lohthong, President of the Esports Association of Thailand, and the arresting team, announced the results of Operation Ghost Buster, a crackdown on corruption at the 33rd SEA Games (SEA Games 2025). The case involved the hiring of substitute players (smurfing/piloting) in the women's Arena of Valor (RoV) team competition. Pol. Maj. Gen. Pattanasak revealed that this case stems from the 33rd SEA Games, hosted by Thailand from December 9-20, 2025. The problematic event was the women's RoV team competition between Thailand and Vietnam on December 15-16, 2025, at Sala Phra Kiao. Chulalongkorn University This incident severely damaged the nation's reputation, resulting in the immediate disqualification of the Thai national team athletes from the competition. The Esports Association of Thailand filed a complaint with the Crime Suppression Division, as the behavior not only violated competition rules but also constituted a cybercrime. Following an investigation and gathering of evidence, search warrants were obtained on February 4th for three locations: the residences and dormitories of Chaiyo, or Kong Cheerio, in Nakhon Phanom and Nonthaburi provinces, and the condominium of Napat, or Tokyogurl, in Nonthaburi province. The searches resulted in the arrest of both perpetrators, along with evidence including mobile phones, IP addresses, and conversation logs confirming the offenses. Police Lieutenant Nonthakorn Nanthanoi, Deputy Inspector of Division 5, Crime Suppression Division, detailed the circumstances, stating that the irregularities began to appear during training camp approximately two weeks before the competition. Teammates noticed Napat switching screens frequently during practice. Investigation revealed that Napat had Chaiyo log into his account to play on his behalf via Discord, despite previous warnings from the coach. They claimed they only had a friend help them observe the game's performance. On the actual competition day (December 15, 1968), Napat planned to send the username and password to Chaiyo to impersonate him in the round against the Vietnamese national team. However, a technical problem occurred in the second round, preventing the code from being sent. Combined with the referees noticing irregularities, they ordered an investigation and immediately disqualified Napat from the competition. During questioning, Chaiyo confessed to being hired to play for Napat for over 3 years, since before the national team tryouts, receiving 300-500 baht per game. Regarding his motivation for cheating, Chaiyo stated that if they won a gold medal, they would receive a new iPhone as a prize; if they lost, they would receive compensation for housing rent or fuel. Pol. Lt. Col. Kamnuan Chan-anan, Deputy Superintendent (Investigation) of Division 5, Crime Suppression Division, stated that the actions of both suspects fall under the Computer Crime Act, specifically the offense of jointly accessing a computer system illegally, punishable by imprisonment of up to 2 years, a fine of up to 4,000 baht, or both. Investigators have submitted the case file to the prosecutor and filed charges with the Pathumwan District Court. The court has scheduled the verdict hearing for March 17, 2026. The President of the Esports Association of Thailand expressed regret and apologized for the incident, acknowledging that it has damaged Thailand's reputation as a host and leader in Asian esports. “We discovered the wrongdoing and immediately withdrew the player from the competition to preserve the honor of the remaining Thai athletes. This incident reflects the existence of cheating in training, which is unacceptable. As for the punishment, the association has ordered a lifetime ban for Napat from all association activities. Although Chaiyo is not a member of the association, he will also be blacklisted and banned from all association activities for life,” Santi stated. Santi also added regarding preventative measures that the association normally uses a central telephone for competitions that athletes do not touch until the match. However, this case is a lesson in the use of technology for verification. He acknowledged that part of the problem was due to the coach's negligence, which has been reprimanded and warned. Pol. Maj. Gen. Phatthanasak concluded by offering advice to young people and esports athletes: Representing the national team is the highest honor. He urged them to be honest in their profession. Cheating not only damages the country's reputation but also destroys their own future. Having a criminal record for life, a victory gained through c...