(Bangkok, 12th) – Thai police have dismantled a transnational 'ghost babies' criminal syndicate that systematically forged Thai birth certificates for hundreds of Chinese newborns to launder their identities. At least 20 suspects were arrested, involving at least 164 'ghost babies'.
According to the Bangkok Post, Samran Nualma, Deputy Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police, confirmed at a press conference that the case involves at least 62 people, including 16 Chinese mothers, 17 Thai men acting as surrogate fathers, and five foreign assistants. Investigators raided 42 locations and issued 40 arrest warrants, with around 20 arrests made so far.
The case originated from an investigation into a Chinese scam and money laundering gang. Financial records led investigators from this gang to a Chinese woman whose three children all held Thai nationality. Authorities discovered she had fraudulently acquired Thai citizenship for her children and decided to launch a broader investigation into birth registrations involving Chinese parents.
According to The Nation, the syndicate's operation was highly organized: pregnant Chinese women, without prior appointments, would be brought directly to high-end private hospitals in Bangkok for delivery, deliberately bypassing the standard antenatal registration, and would not fill in the father's information upon admission. After the babies were born, the syndicate arranged for Thai men to impersonate biological fathers and sign official documents, allowing the newborns to automatically receive Thai citizenship.
Police later enforced Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) tests, which showed that these so-called Thai fathers were not biologically related to the babies.
Each Chinese parent was required to pay around 70,000 baht (about RM8,506.24) in medical fees and an additional 20,000 baht in facilitation fees, while the involved Thai 'fathers' received rewards ranging from 2,000 to 15,000 baht.
The case originated from an investigation into a Chinese scam and money laundering gang. Financial records led investigators from this gang to a Chinese woman whose three children all held Thai nationality. Authorities discovered she had fraudulently acquired Thai citizenship for her children and decided to launch a broader investigation into birth registrations involving Chinese parents.
According to The Nation, the syndicate's operation was highly organized: pregnant Chinese women, without prior appointments, would be brought directly to high-end private hospitals in Bangkok for delivery, deliberately bypassing the standard antenatal registration, and would not fill in the father's information upon admission. After the babies were born, the syndicate arranged for Thai men to impersonate biological fathers and sign official documents, allowing the newborns to automatically receive Thai citizenship.
Police later enforced Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) tests, which showed that these so-called Thai fathers were not biologically related to the babies.
Each Chinese parent was required to pay around 70,000 baht (about RM8,506.24) in medical fees and an additional 20,000 baht in facilitation fees, while the involved Thai 'fathers' received rewards ranging from 2,000 to 15,000 baht.