Esports Player Arrested After Being Accused of Cheating

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A professional Arena of Valor player in Thailand was arrested after being accused of using someone else to play for her during a competition. The person who allegedly helped her cheat was also arrested. This isn’t just a career-threatening scandal – it’s led to criminal charges for both individuals involved in the incident at the official Arena of Valor tournament.

Arena of Valor is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game you can play on mobile devices and Nintendo Switch. Created by Timi Studio Group and published by Level Infinite, it originally launched in Taiwan in October 2016 and later became available in regions like Europe, North America, and Australia. The game is known for its large selection of characters and easy-to-learn controls. It quickly gained popularity, with its first international competition in South Korea in November 2017 attracting over 36 million online viewers. Since then, Arena of Valor has been a regular feature in esports events, including the Asian Games and the Southeast Asian Games.

Arena of Valor’s Suspected SEA 2025 Cheaters Have Been Arrested

Two people have been arrested and charged with cheating during the esports competition at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games in Thailand on December 15th. Naphat Warasin, known as Tokyogurl, allegedly used software and screen sharing to let Chaiyo, nicknamed Cheerio, play the game Arena of Valor for her from a remote location. Tokyogurl was playing for Thailand’s women’s national team at the time, and the team was later disqualified.

Image via Level Infinite

Recent reports from February 13th state that both suspects have been formally accused of working together to get and share secret computer login information, and of illegally accessing protected data. If convicted, they could face up to two years in prison and a fine of around $1,200. In addition to potential criminal penalties, both individuals are banned for life from participating in future competitions. A decision on the criminal charges is anticipated from the Pathumwan Kwaeng Court on March 17th.

Thai authorities claim Tokyogurl gave her login details for an esports tournament to someone named Cheerio. They believe Cheerio then used unauthorized technology to control her character remotely during the competition. This appears to be true, as Cheerio admitted on TikTok to playing during the tournament, and Tokyogurl followed up with an apology on Facebook.

Image via Level Infinite

Earlier reports about the possible cheating said officials first became suspicious because Tokyogurl’s hand motions didn’t line up with what was happening on screen in the game. Other female esports players on the national team also noticed strange behavior from her before the tournament, like hiding her hands while playing and seeming unwilling to participate in face-to-face practice.

Image via Level Infinite

As a fan following this whole situation, it’s getting clearer what happened. The Thai police just released more details, piecing things together from a few different searches. Apparently, before the match, there were some weird login attempts that raised red flags. Even worse, they found chat logs between Tokyogurl and Cheerio that definitely broke the tournament rules. They seized phones and internet data as part of the investigation. While the police haven’t said it for sure, a lot of people are thinking this whole thing was coordinated through Discord.

Image via Southeast Asian Games

Currently, no other reports of cheating or cybercrime have surfaced concerning the SEA 2025 tournament. However, Santi Lohtong, president of the Thailand Esports Federation, stated that this incident has harmed the reputation of both the federation and Thailand’s esports community as a whole.

Sources: The Bangkok Post, Siamsport

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2026-02-14 05:04