Indian Man Threatens Bangkok Crowd with Gun-Shaped Lighter and Abuses Bystanders

Around Monday afternoon in Bangkok’s crowded Siam Square, 41-year-old Indian national Sahil Ram Thadani caused panic by waving what looked like a handgun.

“At TOI World Desk, our dedicated team of seasoned journalists and passionate writers tirelessly sifts through the vast tapestry of global events to bring you the latest news and diverse perspectives round the clock”

Times of India

The object was later confirmed to be a pistol-shaped cigarette lighter.

Times of India

He was shouting at pedestrians near the Novotel area.

Police and security quickly intervened, surrounded, restrained, and arrested him after he ignored instructions to stop.

Multiple outlets place the incident near Novotel Bangkok in the Pathum Wan district.

Video showed erratic behavior as he pointed the lighter at bystanders.

Authorities confirmed it was not a real firearm but charged him over threats and public disturbance that alarmed the crowd.

Witness videos show Thadani dancing on the road, shouting abuses, and pointing the gun-shaped lighter at pedestrians.

He refused to comply with security and police, acted aggressively, and threatened officers before being subdued.

WION

Some outlets stress that no injuries occurred.

All agree he was detained after causing a public scare with the realistic-looking lighter near Novotel Bangkok.

Police charged Thadani with threatening behavior and causing a public disturbance and took him to Pathum Wan Police Station as investigations proceed.

“In a bizarre incident, an Indian man was detained inBangkok’sbusy Siam Square after he caused panic by brandishing a pistol-shaped cigarette lighter and shouting at pedestrians”

Indiablooms

Multiple outlets note he previously served as a director of three now-defunct companies in India, and Thai authorities are checking his length of stay and background.

Some Asian outlets report police suspicions of cannabis-induced hallucinations, while another source cites witnesses saying he appeared drunk.

Several reports do not mention any intoxication angle at all.

Multiple outlets report that the incident was filmed and the video circulated widely.

The footage shows Thadani dancing, shouting, and pointing a lighter like a gun.

Mint

This behavior caused people to flee as panic spread among bystanders.

Police and security forces intervened promptly to control the situation.

Despite resistance and threats from Thadani, he was restrained and detained.

Reports consistently emphasize that the object was a lighter, not a firearm.

Although the lighter resembled a gun, it terrified those present.

Coverage varied across outlets and source types.

“An Indian man in Thailand's capital, Bangkok, was arrested for threatening people with a pistol-shaped lighter in Siam Square”

Mint

Times of India (Asian) carried only a brief world-desk roundup that merely notes an arrest in Bangkok involving an Indian man.

Moneycontrol

Most outlets offered detailed, incident-focused reports.

Mint (Asian) uniquely appended an unrelated Pattaya theft case in the same article.

Moneycontrol (Asian) alone specifies he was taken to Pathum Wan Police Station, a procedural detail most others omit.

NDTV (Asian) and Indiablooms (Other) focused on the time, district, and the lighter’s confirmation without such station-level specifics.