Manus Boonjumnong, 45, was arrested by the Anti-Fraud Division of the Thai police on 19/12 at a hideout in Nonthaburi province. The arrest followed his failure to appear in court on lottery ticket fraud charges.

In 2021, Manus was accused of scamming several individuals into transferring their rights to purchase government lottery tickets worth 2 million baht (approximately 64,000 USD). Manus informed the victims that these lottery ticket allocations belonged to a high-ranking official, but he never provided them with any tickets. The victims stated that Manus became evasive when they demanded their money back.

Manus arrested in Don Mueang, 19/12. Photo: Nation

During the initial investigation, Manus was released on bail. The Don Mueang District Court earlier this year sentenced Manus to 2 years and 9 months in prison. However, he did not appear in court to hear the verdict, prompting the judge to issue an arrest warrant.

After his arrest, Manus was escorted to the Don Mueang Court and then transferred to serve his sentence at Bangkok Special Prison.

Manus is a legendary Thai boxer. He is the country's first and only athlete to win two Olympic gold medals, achieving this feat in 2004 and 2008. He also secured multiple Southeast Asian Games gold medals during his career.

"I didn't think I would be arrested today, the day of the 12 boxing weight class matches at the Southeast Asian Games. I will truly miss cheering for boxing," Manus said as he was escorted to prison.

Manus during his competitive years. Photo: Nation

By Duc Trung (Source: Nation, Bangkok Post)