Cheap trick? Couple face arrest for claiming loss of 10m baht in fire

Police are seeking an arrest warrant for a Nonthaburi couple who claimed 10 million baht in cash was burned in a fire. Investigators suspect fraud after finding 6.5 million baht hidden in their car and evidence that the fire was deliberately set using oil.

Police announced on Tuesday that they will seek an arrest warrant against a couple who claimed that a short-circuit fire burned away 10 million baht in cash they had kept in their room.

Pol Col Pisut Chansuwan, commander of Ratanathibet Police Station, said he was gathering evidence to request an arrest warrant from the Nonthaburi Court as soon as possible.

Pisut made the announcement while leading a team of police investigators to inspect the house in Tambon Tha Sai, Muang district, Nonthaburi, for a final check before finalising the list of evidence.The couple, Nittaya Trisukhon, 27, and her husband Ritthikorn, are facing charges of arson and filing a false police complaint.



Suspicious Fire and Missing Millions

On 23 February, the couple reported that a short circuit had caused a fire in their bedroom on the second floor of a welfare house for Irrigation Department officials in Tambon Tha Sai.

Nittaya initially claimed that 10 million baht in cash kept under the mattress had been destroyed by the flames. However, firefighters argued that the fire had left no ashes of burned banknotes, which would have been plentiful if such a large amount had been incinerated.In response, Nittaya changed her story, alleging that firefighters might have stolen the money.



Police Discover Cash in Car

When questioned about the large sum of cash, Nittaya claimed the money belonged to her unidentified boss, who had transferred it to her account for withdrawal and safekeeping.

Police doubted her explanation and searched her car, discovering 6.5 million baht in cash hidden inside.

Throughout the investigation, Ritthikorn strongly supported his wife’s claims. However, Nittaya refused to disclose her occupation or why her boss would need her to withdraw such a large amount of cash.

Links to Criminal Activity Suspected

Police suspect that Nittaya may have acted as a mule account operator for a crime gang and attempted to short-change the gang by falsely claiming the cash had been destroyed in the fire.

On Tuesday, Pisut revealed that investigators had interrogated all firefighters, who unanimously confirmed that there were no signs of burned banknotes or a short circuit. Instead, the fire was manually set using oil.

The seized 6.5 million baht is now part of a separate investigation into potential money laundering activities.

(2025/03/04-00:00)