Thai cop says viral image of policemen in sparkly dresses is fake

BANGKOK – A viral image of Thai policemen wearing colourful, sparkly dresses for a drug-smuggling raid was generated with artificial intelligence, the police officer responsible has said.

The picture of six officers shown wearing dancer costumes while flanking a suspect became a viral sensation from South-east Asia to the Americas.

Major media outlets reported it as a genuine police sting operation in Thailand, but the officer who originally posted it told AFP that the picture was AI-generated.

AFP’s fact-check department traced the image to the Facebook page of Tha Luang Provincial Police Station in Lopburi province after finding there was a “very high” likelihood that it was generated using AI.

Police Sergeant Rachata Mitrsuripong, the Facebook page’s administrator, said he was responsible for it.

“I wanted to create a friendlier image of the police, showing a cute and humorous side, so that people would feel more comfortable approaching officers,” he told AFP on May 26.

“Sometimes the public feels intimidated by the police,” he said.

Sgt Rachata said the arrest details in the post were genuine and provided AFP with the original image, which had only five male officers in ordinary clothes surrounding the suspect.

Another officer at the police station confirmed to AFP that Sgt Rachata manages its Facebook page but added he was unaware the AI-generated image had spread internationally.

The image went viral after it was reposted by a local media outlet.

It is not the first time police purportedly carrying out sting operations in extravagant outfits have taken the internet by storm.

During Chinese New Year celebrations in February, Thai police donned a red-and-gold lion costume to arrest a burglary suspect.

A Peruvian police officer in 2025 dressed as a capybara and pretended to deliver Valentine’s Day gifts to a drug dealer before storming into his house and arresting him. AFP