Undercover police dressed as lions nab suspected serial burglar at Lunar New Year fair

21 Feb 2026 • 1:49 AM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

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This is the moment undercover Thai police officers dressed as lions catch an alleged serial burglar during Lunar New Year celebrations.

Footage shared by Royal Thai Police shows officers, who are concealed in a group lion costume, dance towards the suspect at a fair in Bangkok on Wednesday (18 February).

An officer, wearing a lion’s head, leaps out at the suspect and pins him to the ground, before other colleagues rush to assist.

The alleged thief is accused of stealing around $64,000 of Buddhist artefacts during a break-in earlier this month.

The suspect had been arrested twice previously and was wanted for multiple counts of theft, the force said in a statement.

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