{
  "id": 7281415,
  "title": "Patong ride-hailing driver says foreigners drug her with chemical spray",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/patong-ride-hailing-driver-says-foreigners-drug-her-with-chemical",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-14T08:21:31.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Thaiger",
    "slug": "the-thaiger",
    "url": "https://thethaiger.com/news/phuket/phuket-ride-hailing-driver-suspects-foreign-passengers-drug-her"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A female ride-hailing driver in Patong fell ill while transporting four foreign passengers on Saturday, September 12. The incident came to light on September 13 after the Phuket Times Facebook page reported the event. The female driver, who is based in Phuket, had taken the group of four Arab men from a hotel in the Patong area. During the trip, the passengers offered her a sweet which she declined. Shortly after, she pulled over as she began feeling dizzy, weak, and short of breath. The driver believed that the group had sprayed something on her before the symptoms began. She suspected the passengers had attempted to drug her. Upon arriving at a hospital, the four foreigners initially seemed to help the driver before leaving the scene amidst the confusion. Local witnesses suggested that the passengers may have drugged the driver to steal her gold necklace. However, police had not confirmed this theory, and it was unclear whether a police complaint had been filed. The substance responsible for the driver's symptoms had not been identified. A similar incident occurred earlier this month, where a pharmacist claimed that a foreign man sprayed a chemical on him, causing dizziness, cold extremities, rapid heartbeat, and chest tightness. The pharmacist chased the suspect away and sought assistance from hospital staff, who later reported him safe.",
  "summary": "A Facebook user says four foreign passengers sprayed something at a woman driving for a ride-hailing app in Patong, leaving her unable to breathe. The story Patong ride-hailing driver says foreigners drug her with chemical spray as seen on Thaiger News .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}