Teen, 16, arrested over modifying Beretta-style pistol for online sale
A 16-year-old boy was arrested for allegedly modifying a Beretta-style pistol for sale online from his home in Thailand.
Police raided the teenager's home in the Chaeng Wattana area of Bangkok as they cracked down on gun-related violence in the country.
Footage shows cops storming the boy's condo on August 26.
They detained the youngster, identified only as 'A', and seized a modified handgun and a gun frame resembling a 9mm Beretta semi-automatic pistol, both without registration markings or serial numbers.
They also confiscated five 9mm rounds of ammunition, a Glock handgun case and a mobile phone.
The teen was charged with illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
Police said he had allegedly been advertising DIY modified guns in a private social media group with more than 300 members.
He was said to have offered a Beretta-style handgun for 8,500 baht, claiming it was fully functional. He reportedly showed the weapon during a video call as proof that he had it.
Investigators said he also offered other firearms and ammunition, claiming to have modified the weapons himself and knowing how to evade police detection.
He then allegedly received payments through bank accounts belonging to other people.
Officials are now investigating how he obtained the firearms and whether other people were involved in the online sales.
Police Major General Wittaya Sriprasertphap, commander of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division, said the boy allegedly admitted that all the seized items belonged to him.
He added: 'We found that the suspect frequently carried firearms with him, claiming he did so for self-defence because he had many friends, often clashed with rivals and feared being attacked.
'He was initially charged with possessing firearms and ammunition without a permit before being taken, along with the seized items, to Thung Song Hong Police Station for further legal proceedings.'
The arrest comes after a horrific school shooting outside Bangkok on August 7.
A 14-year-old student killed his grandparents, followed by six others at the Debsirin Nonthaburi School before dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Investigators said they were examining a combination of possible factors, including family problems, school pressure, friendships and exposure to violent content online.
Thailand has one of the highest gun ownership and gun homicide rates among Southeast Asian nations.
Though Thai authorities have vowed to tighten gun control, there are around 4 million unregistered guns, often smuggled from war-torn countries, in circulation, the Ministry of Interior said in 2023.
