Four men were arrested on charges of making and selling homemade guns and ammunition to vocational students, the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) reported.
The four suspects were apprehended in a sting operation by undercover agents, after about two months of investigation and with cooperation from the Office of the Vocational Education Commission, CCIB commissioner Pol Lt Gen Worawat Watnakhonbancha said in a press conference on Wednesday.
CCIB police arrested Pichet Iam-rungruang, 45, at a house in Bangkok's Lat Krabang district; Piyatat Rungpairoj, 31, at a house in Nonthaburi's Pak Kret district; an 18-year-old, name withheld, at a house in Buri Ram province; and Pakkapol Bumrungkhet, 22, at a house in Ayutthaya province.
The officers also seized one unlicensed .45-caliber pistol, four homemade pen guns, a homemade shotgun, one .22-calibre homemade pistol, more than 6,000 rounds of ammunition, firearms manufacturing equipment, five mobile phones, bank books, ATM cards and delivery boxes.
During questioning, the suspects allegedly admitted that they made and sold guns, along with ammunition they bought elsewhere, mostly to vocational students through online channels.
The image of vocational students has sometimes been associated with violence, driven by frequent news reports about brawls between students from rival colleges. Many of the incidents have resulted in casualties and damage to property.