Dota 2 Pro Claims Police Made Him Play Match to Prove Identity

Ever had to prove you're a gamer? Imagine doing it in handcuffs. That's the wild story pro Dota 2 player Nuengnara "23savage" Teeramahanon is telling after his team's bootcamp in Kuala Lumpur was raided by police earlier this week.

According to a Facebook post on Tuesday, 23savage says police placed the team in handcuffs and confiscated their belongings. Officers then interrogated the players about why they were in the city and whether they were really pro players. One officer happened to know Dota, and was willing to scroll through 23savage's Instagram for proof of his pro career.

A recent photo of 23savage with popular Malaysian influencer Ms. Puiyi was apparently somewhat acceptable evidence. Enough, at least, for the officers to remove his handcuffs and test what really mattered: how good he is at defending the ancients. So 23savage fired up a Dota match right in front of the police, dropping 32 kills as hard carry Kez.

He claims that performance was enough to convince the officers to let the team go. Oh, and they allegedly stole two jars of Nutella on their way out. Priorities, right?

Commenters on the post quickly doubted the story, assuming it was a joke. But 23savage has been actively defending his claims in the replies. Reddit users continue to doubt him, while others jokingly say his story is saving Valve's MOBA.

Regardless of the truth, the incident hasn't slowed down Xipto eSports. The team recently won the EPL SEA tournament without losing a single series, achieving a 10-match win streak. Their roster includes 23savage (Carry), inYourdreaM (Mid), Fbz (Offlane), Q (Support), and Oli (Support). They're now competing for a spot in DreamLeague Season 30.

Meanwhile, Dota 2 itself is seeing notable player gains in 2026, recently hitting its peak player count since 2022. The game still gets occasional patches and content updates, though Valve's focus is largely on its new MOBA, Deadlock.

So, what do you think? Is 23savage's story legit, or just an elaborate prank? And would you be able to clutch a 32-kill game under that kind of pressure? Let us know in the comments!