Thai former Olympic boxing champ Manus Boonjumnong arrested for fraud

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Manus Boonjumnong is a historic figure in Thai sports, being the only Thai boxer to win two Olympic medals.

PHOTO: THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

BANGKOK - Thai former Olympic gold medalist Manus Boonjumnong was arrested on Dec 19 for fraud after failing to appear in court for sentencing.

The arrest was made by the Anti-Fraud Division following two arrest warrants issued by the Don Mueang District Court, accusing Manus of defrauding victims in 2021.

The case began when a victim filed a complaint, claiming that Manus had tricked them into purchasing a lottery ticket quota for 2 million baht (S$82,000).

Manus falsely claimed that the quota came from a senior associate, but the victim never received the tickets as promised. When the victim tried to get their money back, they were met with evasive responses.

Manus had been released on bail but failed to show up for his court hearings.

The court sentenced him to 1 year and 6 months in prison for the first case, and 1 year and 3 months for the second case, totalling 2 years and 9 months.

Following the arrest, he was taken to the Don Mueang Court before being transferred to the Bangkok Special Prison.

During his transfer to the court, Manus joked, “Today’s the SEA Games boxing championship for 12 categories. I didn’t think I’d get arrested today. I’ll miss cheering for boxing.”

Manus is a historic figure in Thai sports, being the first and only Thai boxer to win two Olympic medals.

His accomplishments include winning a gold medal at the