Police are seeking a modelling agency operator after 200 parents complained Monday that they were duped into paying the man in the hope their children could strut on a fashion show catwalk at a Pathum Thani university.
Khlong Luang police said Nopphadon Paenwong, of Perfect Model Academy, must respond to the parents' claim he had cheated them into buying dresses for their children and tickets to the fashion show only to find out later their kids did not join the event.
While their parents waited in the 1,000-baht seats in the audience, the children were packed into a room, waiting in vain to take to the catwalk as part of Fashion Week 2014, held at Bangkok University's Diamond Building on Sunday. (Photo by Pongpat Wongyala)
Phirawan Phanitatchachan, 40, told reporters she and her group felt they were cheated at the Fashion Week 2014 event on Sunday because the organiser had failed to keep his promise that their children would take part in the show.
The parents agreed to pay 1,000 baht each for tickets only to see children other than theirs perform, she told police.
Ms Phirawan said she read about Mr Nopphadon, also known as "Khru Ice", on his Facebook page and that his agency was recruiting children for the show. She then contacted him and was told to take her 14-year-old daughter for an audition on Aug 23 at Bangkok University's School of Communication Arts. There, parents had to buy shirts sold by the agency for between 200 baht and 250 baht each.
She said this was more than the 150 baht they were quoted earlier.
Her daughter and about 500 other children then met the agency at the Diamond Building on campus for the show on Sunday. However, during the show they did not see any of their children on the stage.
Ms Phirawan said she called her daughter who said she and other children were told to wait in a room. She said the parents then met Mr Nopphadon to demand their money back, only to be told to file complaints with the police if they wanted it back.