BANGKOK, Thailand – Thai police have arrested six Nigerian nationals during a major operation dubbed “Operation Dark Room” after uncovering an alleged AI-assisted romance scam network targeting elderly Thai women from luxury riverside condominiums in Nonthaburi. On May 23, Pol. Gen. Samran Nuanma, Deputy National Police Chief and Director of the Narcotics Suppression Center, together with Metropolitan Police Bureau Commissioner Pol. Lt. Gen. Siam Boonsom, ordered officers to launch coordinated raids on three condominium units near Phra Nang Klao Bridge in Nonthaburi province.
The operation was led by senior officers from the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Nonthaburi Provincial Police, and Ratthanathibet Police Station. Police arrested six Nigerian suspects and seized 18 mobile phones, three laptop computers, and three bank books. The raid stemmed from an investigation into a transnational cocaine trafficking network following the arrest of a major suspect known as “Patrick” and three accomplices on April 18. Authorities seized 27 grams of cocaine and assets worth approximately 2.5 million baht during that earlier operation.
Investigators later uncovered suspicious financial links leading to the Nigerian group, who were allegedly living in the luxury condo using student visas while failing to attend classes or maintain legitimate employment. When police arrived with court-issued search warrants, suspects allegedly attempted to barricade themselves inside the rooms, forcing officers to break down the doors. Inside the first room, police found three suspects actively operating online scam chats. One suspect allegedly tried to escape by climbing over a balcony, while another hid on the bathroom floor while attempting to warn accomplices in neighboring rooms via mobile phone messages. Police immediately stormed the remaining units and arrested three more suspects.
According to investigators, the gang created fake online profiles posing as attractive foreign professionals including pilots, American soldiers, doctors, and engineers to lure elderly Thai women into online relationships in a classic “romance scam” scheme. Victims were allegedly manipulated emotionally before being told expensive gifts had been shipped to Thailand but were supposedly stuck at customs, requiring payment of fake clearance fees. Authorities said the syndicate had evolved beyond ordinary online scams by using AI-generated facial animation technology to create fake video calls that made the profiles appear real during live conversations.
Police also discovered what officers described as “sexualized chat scripts” specifically designed to exploit loneliness and emotional vulnerability among elderly women and pressure them into transferring money. All six suspects reportedly confessed during questioning. They have initially been charged with criminal association and overstaying their visas, while fraud-related charges remain under investigation pending additional victim complaints. The suspects were transferred to Ratthanathibet Police Station for legal proceedings.
