Chinese Fugitive Held in Chiang Mai, Faces Deportation

Thai immigration police have arrested a Chinese businessman wanted by authorities in China over an alleged 35 million baht bond market fraud and bribery case after tracking him to Chiang Mai.

The arrest was announced on Tuesday, 28 July, as part of an ongoing operation by Thailand’s Immigration Bureau targeting transnational crime and foreign fugitives. Officials said the suspect’s permission to remain in Thailand has already been revoked and he will be deported to China to face prosecution.

Suspect traced through Thai-Chinese cooperation

The operation was directed by Immigration Bureau Commissioner Pol Lt Gen Phanumat Boonyalak, who also heads the bureau’s Centre for Suppression of Transnational Crime and Illegal Immigration, together with senior immigration officers.

The suspect, identified only as Mr Tian, 37, a Chinese national, was the subject of an arrest warrant issued by authorities in Jiangyin, Jiangsu Province, China.

According to the Immigration Bureau, investigators in China allege that between February 2020 and January 2026, Mr Tian abused his position at an asset management company by working with securities traders to manipulate bond prices and rig bond trading in the primary market.

Authorities said he received an illegal share of the profits amounting to 60% of the gains, with the total alleged benefit exceeding 7 million yuan, equivalent to more than 35 million baht.

Chinese police issued an arrest warrant on 1 April 2026, but investigators said the suspect fled to Thailand before he could be detained.

Arrest before planned onward flight

Thai immigration investigators said they used digital tracking methods and intelligence sharing between Thai and Chinese authorities to locate Mr Tian in Chiang Mai.

According to officials, he had been hiding in northern Thailand and was preparing to leave the country for a third nation when officers moved in and arrested him.

Following the arrest, Pol Maj Gen Phanop Worathanatchakul, commander of the Immigration Bureau’s Investigation Division, approved the immediate cancellation of the suspect’s permission to stay in Thailand under the Immigration Act. He will now be processed for deportation to China, where he will face the outstanding criminal charges.

Picture courtesy of Naewna

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29 July 2026