An affluent businessman with a penchant for voyeurism has been arrested after secretly installing 11 hidden cameras inside women’s toilets at a shopping mall in central Chiang Mai, police said on Thursday.
Police said the suspect, identified only as Chris, 41, owns a luxury house worth more than 10 million baht in an upscale housing estate in tambon San Phi Suea of Muang district in the northern province.
His arrest followed a complaint on April 16 from an employee at a shopping mall under the jurisdiction of the Mae Ping police station. The staff discovered a concealed camera beneath a washbasin in a women’s restroom, aimed directly at a toilet bowl, said Pol Maj Gen Thawatchai Phongwiwatchai, deputy commissioner of Provincial Police Region 5.
The device was capable of transmitting video remotely and had been carefully hidden from view. An initial inspection uncovered four hidden cameras at different locations inside the women’s toilets at the mall. Technical analysis enabled police to trace the signal back to the suspect’s residence.
Officers from the Cyber Task Force and Mae Ping police station obtained a warrant from the Chiang Mai Provincial Court on Wednesday morning and searched the suspect’s home.
Police seized 11 small remote controlled surveillance cameras, two mobile phones – an iPhone 16 Pro and a Vivo Y29 – and an HP laptop, which was found to contain numerous videos and images of women recorded while using toilets. Mr Chris was charged with possession of obscene material for sexual gratification.
During questioning, the businessman admitted he had installed the cameras himself and had been doing so for about one month. He told investigators he learned how to do it from YouTube videos and bought the equipment online.
The suspect said he installed the devices when no one was around, concealing them inside air freshener containers or under sinks, and viewed the images remotely on his phone before saving them to his laptop.
He claimed the videos were not shared online and were for personal viewing only, describing his actions as reckless curiosity.
According to investigators, the suspect was well educated, financially secure and held a good job, but claimed he became interested in video voyeurism while following social media, which eventually led to his arrest.
Pol Maj Gen Thawatchai warned members of the public against engaging in similar acts, saying technology always leaves traces.
‘Everything leaves evidence. Police can trace and track offenders,’ he said.
He also urged women to remain vigilant when using public restrooms and to check their surroundings carefully before entering.