Police from Bangkok’s metropolitan bureau were given under a day to ready their newest covert raid. They would pose as lion‑dance performers at a temple fair celebrating the lunar new year. Their objective: locate and detain a suspected burglar known for eluding police.
“The performance was impromptu. We simply acted,” explained Captain Lertvarit Lertvorapreecha, noting that there was no time for rehearsal. In his rush he mistakenly took a fellow officer’s male mask, pairing it with a red silk robe, trousers and tactical boots.
The disguise proved effective. Children gathered to play, onlookers chuckled. Most importantly, the officers surprised the target, subduing him amid a swirl of red and gold cloth. He is now held pending trial, charged with stealing Buddhist relics valued at £47,717.
Lertvarit’s unit has frequently adopted odd costumes to catch suspects, masquerading as foliage, construction laborers and even a Lycra‑clad wrestler, with video clips spreading widely and attracting coverage in Thailand and overseas.
“You cannot escape what is unseen,” Lertvarit remarked.
“The quickest arrest comes from catching someone off‑guard while they are relaxed and unaware of their surroundings,” he added.
Lertvarit said the idea for the costumes stems from field experience and criminal profiling. In the lion‑dance operation, officers knew the suspect had moved to a different district, and that the lunar‑new‑year celebrations would fill the streets, offering a chance to merge with the crowd.
The individual was a seasoned thief with an extensive robbery record, Lertvarit noted. “He is highly alert. If something seems off, he bolts. He also runs fast,” he added.
The suspect, who later admitted to several thefts, was armed with a knife when detained, Lertvarit said.
While the covert costumes often draw amusement online, the methods have helped capture individuals charged with serious offenses, such as rape and sexual abuse of minors.
In a separate domestic case, an officer crawled several hundred metres through rice paddies in a ghillie suit—misplacing his headphones en route—to seize a man wanted for assaulting a minor. The 2024 suspect resided in a remote hut amid the fields, and police feared he would notice a conventional approach.
Later that month, an officer donned a wrestler’s outfit in a complex sting aimed at arresting a Chinese tourist accused of rape and recording the assault.
The suspect had, during dialogue with the undercover team, asked for a man dressed as a wrestler to engage in a swing.
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