Police arrested 15 Chinese and Taiwanese gamblers at an illegal den inside a closed restaurant in Wang Thonglang district of Bangkok on Tuesday night.

Police raided the restaurant on Soi Saha Karn Pramool about 11.30pm.

The raid followed complaints that the restaurant seemed to be operating, but Thai visitors were denied entry.

Police detained 11 Chinese, aged 28 to 47 years, and four Taiwanese, aged 26 to 44. One of the Chinese men, 44, told police he rented the premises and was also a gambler. The four arrested Thais were employees, aged 22 to 42 years. One was a cook.

Police seized two sets of playing cards and about 1,000 gambling chips.

The place was previously a Chinese restaurant. It had closed during the Covid-19 pandemic and more recently been used as a gambling den. Police found from gamblers’ phones that they made appointments to gamble, using chat apps and social media platforms.