A British tourist has died in Bangkok and his girlfriend remains hospitalized after the couple allegedly had their drinks spiked while on holiday in Thailand, according to family members and authorities.
Tom Pardhy, 38, passed away on March 6, 2026, while his partner, Naomi Raksha, 31, was rushed to intensive care following the alleged poisoning. The East London yoga instructor and music promoter had been traveling through Thailand with Raksha for six weeks when tragedy struck in the capital city.
Raksha’s mother, Heather Brown, claimed on Facebook that the couple “were given spiked drinks in Bangkok.” Raksha was transported to the hospital in a tuk-tuk, where medical staff intubated her and treated her for poisoning after she suffered cardiac arrest. Tom was found unresponsive approximately 24 hours after his girlfriend was hospitalized.
In a statement posted to Instagram, Tom’s family—his mother Joanna, sister Alex, and girlfriend Naomi—confirmed his death, describing it as “sudden, accidental and unexpected.” They called him “an absolute beacon of light in his East London community and beyond.”
Pardhy worked in the music industry for over a decade, managing stages at major festivals including Kala, Houghton, Hideout, Dimensions, and Morocco’s Oasis Festival. He co-founded his own events company, We Concur, handled marketing for Corsica Studios, and also worked as a yoga instructor, accredited life coach, and youth mentor.
Raksha posted her own tribute on social media, revealing the harrowing details of her medical emergency. She wrote that on the morning of March 6, she suffered a heart attack and was “pronounced dead multiple times” before slipping into a coma. Against all medical odds, she survived—but woke to devastating news.
“I returned alone, without Tom by my side. He saved my life, and that truth will stay with me for the rest of mine,” Raksha wrote, describing Pardhy as “my best friend, my biggest fan, my rock, my confidant, my teammate—my guy.”
Raksha disclosed that she has admitted herself to a rehabilitation center to focus on physical recovery while receiving treatment for grief, PTSD, and trauma.
Naomi’s brother, Jonathan Raksha, set up a GoFundMe page to help cover mounting medical and travel expenses. The campaign has raised close to £10,000 at the time of writing. Brown traveled to Thailand to support her daughter during her recovery.
A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson confirmed the death to LBC. “We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in Thailand and are in contact with the local authorities,” the spokesperson said.
The family asked for privacy regarding the exact circumstances of Pardhy’s death, requesting that questions not be asked publicly. They added that they were “deeply comforted in the knowledge that his last month in Thailand with his love Naomi was truly the happiest of his life.”
The family announced plans to hold a cremation ceremony at a Buddhist temple in Bangkok on Thursday and indicated they would share details about a gathering to celebrate Tom’s life at a later date. They requested that tributes use the hashtag #TLPLOVE.
This incident echoes a similar tragedy in November 2024, when Simone White, a 28-year-old lawyer from Orpington, Kent, was among six tourists who died after consuming allegedly methanol-laced drinks in the backpacking town of Vang Vieng in Laos.
Drink spiking and contaminated alcohol remain persistent dangers in popular tourist destinations across Southeast Asia, with multiple incidents reported in recent years involving both methanol poisoning and intentional drugging.