Thai police have arrested six Nigerian nationals over their alleged involvement in romance scam activities and visa violations in the Nonthaburi area of the country.
The operation, code-named “Dark Room Crackdown,” was reportedly carried out near the Phra Nang Klao Bridge in Bang Kraso, Muang district, leading to the arrest of the suspects identified as Dennis, Ejikeme, Ibekwe, Okorom, Nwosu and Obielu.
Authorities said several items, including mobile phones, laptops, banknotes and other electronic gadgets, were recovered during the raid.
According to Thai police, the suspects allegedly operated a romance scam syndicate that targeted Thai women using artificial intelligence-generated photographs and fake identities on social media platforms.
Investigators also accused the Nigerians of overstaying their visas after entering Thailand on student permits.
Police disclosed that Dennis, 23, allegedly overstayed his visa by 726 days, while Ejikeme, 24, reportedly exceeded his stay by 827 days.
Ibekwe, 29, was said to have overstayed by 1,166 days, while Okorom, 26, allegedly remained in the country illegally for 695 days.
Authorities further claimed that Nwosu, 30, overstayed his visa by about 1,560 days, while the duration of Obielu’s alleged visa violation was not immediately disclosed.
Thai authorities alleged that the six suspects lived together and operated the fraud network from a shared residence.
Police also stated that preliminary investigations showed no evidence that the suspects attended academic activities linked to their student visas or maintained legitimate employment records in Thailand.
The arrests form part of an ongoing crackdown by Thai security agencies on foreigners allegedly involved in cybercrime, online fraud and immigration-related offences across the country.
