Dota 2 pro 23savage says he dropped 32 kills in front of Malaysian police to prove his skills after officers raided his team’s bootcamp and handcuffed players.

Thai player Nuengnara ‘23savage’ Teeramahanon, who plays for Xipto Esports, shared the unusual encounter in a Facebook post, describing how a training session ended with police questioning whether gaming was really his job.

Dota 2 has some famously dedicated players, including Valve boss Gabe Newell, who still plays every day. But 23savage’s account gave his next match some particularly unusual stakes.

23savage says police watched him get 32 kills

In his Facebook post, 23savage said the team had finished practicing and were using their phones when Kuala Lumpur detectives entered the house.

He claimed officers confiscated their passports and phones, disconnected the internet, and shut down their computers. He, Fbz, and Oli were then handcuffed and questioned for two hours about their work and whether they were actually professional players.

Instagram

The situation began easing when an officer wearing a France football shirt with Olise’s name and number 11 said he knew Dota and Fnatic. After 23savage shared his Instagram, the officer also recognized Ms Puiyi in a photo.

According to the player, officers started believing that he was a professional gamer and public figure. He then asked how much longer things would take because he needed to practice and compete.

Facebook

An officer removed his handcuffs so he could demonstrate his skills, and 23savage queued up a game as Kez while the detective watched.

He said he finished with 32 kills, convincing the officer. The remaining handcuffs were subsequently removed, and he was allowed to keep playing.

It’s unclear why the police raided the esports bootcamp to begin with, but 23savage’s gameplay was good enough to get him out of trouble. However, the esports pro said the encounter also cost him two boxes of Nutella, which the officers ate.