maemoo

Foxy cop; sex pranks backfire; purr-fect trap; rehab pills

2025-12-28T08:49:00.001+07:00

Police behind every bush

Police nab Suriya on the bridge as he heads towards the hotel.

Crime Suppression Division police trapped a drug dealer from Nong Bua Lamphu province by posing as a woman and luring him to a hotel rendezvous for sex.

The suspect was on the run after allegedly shooting his wife to death in a fit of rage after discovering she squandered money he earned from drug sales on online gambling.

Police nabbed Suriya (surname withheld), 37, on Dec 24 near a pedestrian overpass in Bangkok’s Prawet district.

Suriya is charged with murder and firearms offences. Police said the crime occurred on March 28, 2024, when the suspect allegedly shot his wife, Laddawan (surname withheld), also 37, at their home in Na Klang district.

The couple had three children together. After the shooting, the suspect fled the scene on a Yamaha motorcycle without licence plates.

Investigators believe the motive stemmed from a domestic dispute. The suspect, described as a major drug distributor in the Na Klang area, was enraged after his wife spent hundreds of thousands of baht from drug proceeds he had entrusted to her to gamble online until the money was exhausted.

Given the brazenness of the crime, police placed Suriya on the Royal Thai Police’s most-wanted list for 2025, ranking him 93rd nationwide. He evaded capture by moving between provinces, avoiding contact with family and refraining from using a mobile phone.

A breakthrough came when an officer, Pol Capt Nitithorn Prachankanchana, created a fake social-media profile posing as an attractive young woman. By monitoring the suspect’s circle of friends on TikTok and striking up flirtatious conversations, police learned Suriya was hiding in Bangkok. A meeting was arranged at a short stay hotel in the Prawet area.

At the time of the rendezvous, Pol Capt Nitithorn disguised himself again as a beggar sitting on a pedestrian overpass near the hotel. When the suspect arrived at the meeting point, officers identified themselves and made the arrest.

A search of the suspect’s belongings uncovered Viagra tablets, condoms and a hotel room key. During the arrest, the suspect remarked, “I managed to stay on the run for so long — I never thought I’d be caught because of a woman.”

Mr Suriya denied all charges. He was handed over to Na Klang police.

Sex trysts gone wrong

Sarut nabbed with the stolen car.

A woman in Nakhon Pathom province lost her car to theft when she agreed to a hotel rendezvous with a man she met online.

The man, who took off with her car while she visited the bathroom, quickly resold the vehicle at a heavily discounted price.

Highway police later arrested the new owner, Sarut (surname withheld), 36, on Dec 23 on Highway 323 in Tha Maka district, Kanchanaburi. The seized vehicle was a white Toyota Yaris reported stolen the previous night.

Police said the case began on Dec 21, when the victim, identified only as A, arranged to meet a man named Thirachai (surname withheld), whom she met through social media. They met at a hotel in Phutthamonthon district, Nakhon Pathom.

While inside the hotel room, the suspect waited for the woman to go to the bathroom, grabbed her car keys and drove off. Unable to contact him, the victim reported the theft to Phutthamonthon police.

Investigators later learned the stolen car was heading west towards Kanchanaburi. Highway police set up checkpoints and intercepted the vehicle on Highway 323.

During questioning, the driver told police he had been contacted online the previous day by a man offering to sell a Toyota Yaris.

The seller claimed he had owned the car for about a year but could not contact the previous owner and had no registration book. He sold it to Mr Sarut for just 23,000 baht in cash.

Mr Sarut agreed to meet near the same hotel where the theft had occurred, paid the cash, and drove away. He denied any involvement in the original theft but admitted to the charge of receiving stolen property.

Police are still looking for Thirachai, the suspected car thief.

Meanwhile, in another tale of sexual encounters gone wrong, a man was seriously injured after confronting his wife and her alleged lover outside a newly bought house in Phatthalung province.

The shooting occurred on Dec 23 on a road in Tamot district. Police were sent to the scene following reports of gunfire.

The victim, identified as Suwit (no surname given), 38, was found with a gunshot wound and taken to hospital in a critical condition.

Suwit had grown suspicious that his 33-year-old wife was involved in a relationship with another man. On the evening of the incident, his wife told him she was going to check on a new house the couple had recently bought together, not far from their current home.

After she failed to return for some time, Suwit followed her there. When he arrived, he found a motorcycle parked outside the house and no sign of his wife. He waited nearby.

A short while later, a black car arrived and stopped in front of the house. When he saw his wife get out, Suwit emerged from hiding, holding a knife. He ran towards the vehicle, shouting for the driver to get out.

The driver instead fired a single shot, striking Suwit and causing him to collapse on the roadside. The shooter then drove away from the scene with the woman. Police are looking for the gunman and the victim’s wife.

Falling for her feline ways

A Pattaya man says he was assaulted after a woman invited him to her home to look at her cat.

A Pattaya man says he was assaulted after a woman invited him to her home to look at her cat.

She claimed she was single, but the victim says he was attacked by her boyfriend, who turned up unexpectedly, before any romance occurred.

The incident occurred on Dec 21, but the victim, identified as Beam, 21, came forward on Dec 24 , saying he feared he might not receive fair treatment unless the case received public attention.

Beam told reporters that on the night of the incident he was drinking with friends at Smiland Market in North Pattaya. While returning from the restroom, he met a customer, identified only as A.

She took his hand, he said, invited him to join her table, and asked him to buy drinks. They struck up a conversation and exchanged Instagram accounts.

Beam said he asked the woman whether she had a boyfriend, and she insisted she was single. She later invited him to her home in the Khao Talo area, saying she wanted to show him her cat.

Arriving at the house, Beam said he noticed men’s shoes outside and became suspicious. The woman told him they belonged to a family member, and he agreed to go inside.

While in the room, she attempted to initiate intimacy, but Beam says no sex took place.

Not long afterwards, the woman’s boyfriend returned home and assaulted Beam.

The attacker restrained him, beat him for an extended period, and threatened him, declaring, “This is a civil servant’s house.”

Mr Beam said he was eventually released and forced to leave the property by climbing over a wall.

He returned to his family in a badly injured condition and was taken to hospital for treatment. Later he filed a complaint with Nong Prue police.

Mr Beam added he later learned the woman’s boyfriend had filed a counter-complaint accusing him of trespassing.

He denied the allegation, insisting he had been invited into the house by the woman herself.

The victim’s family has called on police to investigate to ensure justice is served.

Rehab popper needs a fix

Naranon sits in the back of the truck.

A Nakhon Nayok man undergoing court-ordered drug rehabilitation cheekily arranged for 200 methamphetamine tablets to be delivered to a meeting spot nearby.

Police nabbed Naranon (no surname given) after hearing drugs were being smuggled to participants attending a rehab camp at the Suda Duean Phen Training Centre, within accommodation run by the Chaipattana Foundation in Muang district.

Officers tracked the suspected delivery to a traffic circle near Khun Dan Prakan Chon Dam.

They asked to search Naranon, who was “standing suspiciously”, and uncovered a plastic bag containing 200 speed tablets. He was taken into custody along with the drugs.

Police said Naranon had been at the camp for five days and was one of 40 participants. After three days in treatment, investigators say, he secretly called a dealer and arranged for the drugs to be delivered nearby.

A urine test returned a positive result for drug use.

Naranon was handed over to Muang Nakhon Nayok police as police look for the man who delivered the drugs to him.

Khmer scam horror; student victims; 'khon' heroes

2025-12-21T08:34:00.001+07:00

Cambodian troops in on scam

Suea’s mother shows her son’s picture to reporters

Two Thai men who escaped from scam compounds in Cambodia have shed light on intriguing details of their capture and transfer across the border.

The men, who reported their cases on Dec 17 to the Anti-Human Trafficking Division, alleged they were trafficked across the border and forced to work for online scam gangs — with Cambodian soldiers playing a direct role in their capture and transfer.

They say the criminal network involved Thai, Chinese and Cambodian nationals. Most disturbing, they said, was that armed Cambodian soldiers escorted them across the border and handed them over to scam operators.

One victim, a 24-year-old man known as Suea (no other details given) from Chon Buri, remains missing in Cambodia.

His mother, in tears, told reporters that her son had said he was going away for seven days to take part in a paid internship related to dietary supplements.

Just two days later, Suea sent a warning message to a friend who was supposed to join him: “Don’t come. Don’t come at all.” After that, all contact was lost.

On the evening of Dec 6, Suea finally sent a brief message home, saying he was being held in a Cambodian prison on charges linked to the killing of a security guard at the building where he had been forced to work.

He insisted he had not committed the killing, saying the actual perpetrator had fled, and that he and several friends had only fought with guards while trying to escape.

His family later learned he was due to appear in court in Cambodia. Since then, there has been no further contact.

His mother pleaded with Thai authorities to intervene and bring her son home, saying he had been deceived and sold into the operation by fellow Thais.

She said she could barely function from worry and feared for the many other Thai victims still trapped across the border.

The second victim, Pao (no other details given) 38, from Buri Ram, managed to escape and return to Thailand.

He said he had been recruited through a Facebook job posting offering work in the dietary supplement business in Bangkok.

Instead, he was taken to Aranyaprathet in Sa Kaeo province, then driven off-route into a sugarcane field near Klong Nam Sai.

There, he said, armed Cambodian soldiers surrounded and detained him and others, marched them across a canal into Cambodia, and handed them over to Chinese financiers and Thai supervisors.

Pao said he was taken to a scam compound, separated from his group, stripped of his ID card, and forced to surrender phone and bank passwords.

His facial data was scanned and five bank accounts — including personal accounts — were turned into “mule” accounts used for fraud.

He was later told he would be sent home. Instead, he was taken to a hotel guarded by armed Cambodian soldiers and informed he had been “sold” and could not leave.

He was ordered to make at least 200,000 baht a day in scam revenue. When he resisted, he was threatened.

Seizing a moment when guards were distracted, Pao and another victim fled the hotel and ran into the forest, hiding for an entire night.

They covered more than 8km on foot before encountering Thai rangers patrolling the border, who helped them return safely to Thailand and enter the justice process.

After being charged under immigration law and released on bail, Pao contacted banks to check the accounts that had been seized by the scam gang.

All had been frozen due to fraud complaints already filed in three police jurisdictions: Krathum Baen, Ban Bueng and Pak Chong.

No arrest warrants have yet been issued, though Pao has submitted names of individuals linked to the trafficking network to police.

Tech students fall for con

The vocational student with police.

A 19-year-old vocational student was rescued just in time from a call-centre scam after relatives tracked his location through GPS and alerted police, but another student from the same college wasn’t so lucky.

On Dec 16, Pol Col Somkasem Jaruk, superintendent of Muang station in Kamphaeng Phet, was notified that a student had been lured out of his home by scammers and had suddenly gone silent.

Investigators were sent to a resort in Muang district, where they found the victim, a 19-year-old student, alone in a room — frightened, confused and moments away from transferring a large sum of money.

Police say the student was contacted by scammers posing as officers from the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), accusing him of being linked to a money-laundering case involving so-called mule accounts.

He was instructed to book a resort room and remain on a video call while the scammers guided him step by step.

The gang ordered him to keep the door locked and warned he would be shot if he left the room.

They demanded access to his bank accounts and attempted to pressure him into transferring 25,000 baht. Police arrived before the money was sent.

The rescue was made possible after the student’s parents were unable to contact him and discovered they had been blocked on all channels.

Alarmed, they asked relatives to trace his location using GPS data linked to his email account. Once the coordinates were identified, police moved in quickly.

The student, identified as Rainbow (no other details given), later told investigators the scammers had first contacted him by phone shortly before he was due to attend classes.

He was instructed to add a Line account falsely claiming to belong to the DSI and follow their orders without informing anyone.

He was asked to send payment slips, record statements supposedly for court proceedings, and take screenshots of his bank details under the pretext of “verification”.

In a similar case just hours earlier, another student from the same college also fell victim to the scam.

Believing the callers were genuine DSI officers, he transferred money twice, losing a total of 7,384 baht.

The student, unnamed in news reports, said the money came from his government student loan fund and savings earned from freelance drafting work.

Realising too late he had been deceived, he reported the case to police.

Rainbow’s father said he had been deeply worried when his son stopped answering calls and blocked all contact.

“When the police found him and brought him back safely, I was so relieved,” he said, thanking investigators for their swift action.

Police later interviewed both students and took their complaints.

Dedication to a cause

Students performed the ‘khon’ dance at a funeral for a soldier despite being involved in an accident when their bus crashed.

A troupe of dramatic arts students involved in a nasty traffic accident in Krabi decided to press ahead with the noble aim of their trip — performing at the funeral of a soldier who fell in the Thai-Cambodia border conflict.

The students from Nakhon Si Thammarat College of Dramatic Arts travelled to Wat Tham Kob in Khao Phanom district on Dec 18 to perform a khon dance in honour of the fallen soldier.

The performance took place during the royal cremation ceremony of Staff Sgt Thawirat Rattanaburi, 37, who was killed in combat while serving on the Thai–Cambodian border in Ubon Ratchathani on Dec 13.

Just hours before, the double-decker bus carrying around 40 students and teachers to the ceremony was involved in a collision with an 18-wheel truck on the Khao Phanom–Thung Yai highway in Krabi.

The crash left more than a dozen people injured — one seriously, several moderately, and many with minor injuries.

Rescue teams took the wounded to Khao Phanom Hospital, with the most seriously cases transferred to Krabi Hospital. Two students remained hospitalised.

Despite the accident — and their bruises, bandages and shock — the troupe chose not to turn back. Much of their equipment and costumes had been trapped inside the damaged bus, making it impossible to perform in full traditional attire.

Still, the students went ahead, performing scenes from the Ramakien, including the battle between Phra Ram and Thotsakan, directly in front of the crematorium.

An instructor accompanying the group of students said the decision had been unanimous.

After being contacted by the host family, the troupe sought permission from the college administration to proceed, determined to pay their respects and honour a soldier who had given his life in defence of the country.

As the final movements ended, the audience — family members, officials and mourners — rose in sustained applause, a gesture of admiration for the students’ resolve and spirit.

When the ceremony hosts later offered financial support in appreciation, the troupe quietly donated the money back as a merit-making offering. The applause rang out once more.

Also present was Lipikar Kamlangchai, an inspector from the Ministry of Culture and representative of the permanent secretary, who spoke to the teachers and students to offer encouragement.

She said the incident would be reported to the ministry so further assistance could be considered, particularly for those still receiving treatment.

Gun vs knife; druggie’s fall; time for a kip; war tales

2025-12-14T08:25:00.001+07:00

Sudden escalation

Police inside Supranee's house.

A woman in Ayutthaya shot her former husband as he tried to climb into her house, claiming she did it in self-defence.

Police in Bang Pa-in district responded to an emergency call after a man was shot inside a home in Sam Ruen subdistrict.

Officers and rescue workers found the injured man — identified as Karn (no other details given), 47 — lying inside the front gate, crying out for help.

He had been shot once in the back, with the bullet exiting through the chest. He was taken to hospital.

The shooter, his wife, Supranee (no other details given), 51, owner of the house, was waiting inside.

She handed officers her registered .38-calibre revolver and surrendered.

Police noted that two rounds had been fired. A knife was also found on the floor of the house and seized as evidence.

From the hospital stretcher, Karn told officers he had climbed into the house to retrieve some of his belongings after the couple argued the night before.

Because the house was locked, he climbed the fence and forced open a tool cabinet when his former wife opened fire — first one shot, then a second that struck him.

Supranee told police that she and her ex-husband had divorced in May and that he had repeatedly caused disturbances, damaged property and made threats, including pouring fuel around the house and threatening to burn it down.

She said patrol officers had been called to intervene many times.

On this occasion, she said, he climbed over the fence shouting aggressively, carrying a knife, and began rummaging through the house and prying at the doors and windows.

Fearing he intended to harm her, she fired to defend herself: “I meant to shoot low, at his legs. I didn’t know how it ended up hitting him in the back.

“If I hadn’t fired to protect myself, I don’t know what would have happened. He always carries a knife.”

She added that family members had urged her to move away for her safety, but she had nowhere else to go.

Her former husband, she said, had a history of leaving her for other women, returning, causing trouble and demanding money to pay off daily loan debts.

Pol Col Phiphop Naphutra, superintendent of Bang Pa-in police, confirmed patrol units had responded to multiple domestic-violence incidents at the house in the past.

No word was to hand as to what charges Supranee or Karn will face. The probe continues.

He’ll do anything for a mate

Atichat nabbed after he came off his bike.

A Bangkok druggie crashed after spotting police as he was riding his motorcycle on the wrong way up the footpath.

That was the least of his offending — he was also on the way to deliver illicit drugs.

Upon seeing police, he panicked and crashed. Officers found him carrying both crystal meth and ya ba pills.

He told police he was on his way to deliver the drugs to raise money to bail out a friend.

Pol Col Anan Worasat, superintendent of Bang Khen police, arrested Atichat, or “Sam” (no surname given), 27, with 41.5 grammes of crystal meth and 108 ya ba pills.

He was caught along Phahon Yothin Road in the district.

The arrest stemmed from a routine patrol. When officers reached the outbound side of Phahon Yothin Road heading toward the Bang Khen roundabout, they spotted the suspect riding a motorcycle against traffic on the footpath.

When he saw the police he tried to swerve away, lost control and toppled over.

Officers searched him and found crystal meth hidden in his shoulder bag and tucked inside his left glove.

He admitted that additional ya ba pills were stashed under his motorcycle seat. The items were seized as evidence.

During questioning, the suspect confessed he had taken crystal meth before riding.

When the patrol unit told him to stop, he panicked and tried to flee until he crashed.

He said he had been rushing to deliver the drugs to a customer to earn money to post bail for a friend who had been arrested earlier.

Police handed him over to Bang Khen police for legal action.

They will sleep anywhere

Wan, who was caught sleeping in someone else's house.

An Udon Thani woman was caught after breaking into someone else’s home and choosing that moment to have a sleep.

When confronted, she rambled through a series of excuses — claiming everything from being sent to deliver a package to being asked to “check the meter”.

The incident took place in the Sri Chomchuen 2 community in Udon Thani municipality.

The house, whose owner works in Bangkok, had been locked up and left under the care of neighbours.

Around 5pm, one neighbour noticed something amiss and went inside to check.

He found the door forced open — and a woman, Wan (no other details given), 32, fast asleep as if it were her own bedroom. She was detained and handed over to police.

Thongchan, the neighbour, said the woman had been living in the house for several days, judging by the clothing and personal items scattered around.

Police tried questioning her, but getting a straight answer proved challenging. At first she claimed, “Someone sent me here to deliver a package”.

When asked again, she changed her story to: “The owner asked me to come record the metre readings.”

Then she said she had brought an electric oven for the owner, who supposedly needed it for a camping trip somewhere.

She insisted she hadn’t stolen anything — she had just come in to rest.

Police took her to the station, where a urine test turned up positive for drugs. She faces charges of housebreaking and using methamphetamine pills.

Tales from the border

Cambodian spies nabbed in Trat after using a mobile phone to film local spots.

A Cambodian husband and wife were nabbed in Trat as they were riding a motorcycle and using a mobile phone to film local spots. Local police charged them with spying.

They recorded their journey from Khao Lan checkpoint and the Rajakarun Centre of the Thai Red Cross Society at Khao Lan all the way towards downtown Trat.

Before they reached the city, officers from the military and district officials intercepted them, and called police from Ban Tha Luean station to take the couple in for questioning.

During initial questioning, the husband and wife denied being spies. They insisted they were Cambodian nationals with valid migrant-worker ID cards, living in Klong Yai district and working as domestic cleaners.

They denied filming strategic routes or military camps, claiming instead that their relatives were planning to visit but didn’t know the way — so they filmed the route to send to them.

Officials were unconvinced, finding the explanation illogical given that the footage included military facilities.

Officers also found Khmer-language conversations on the woman’s phone. The man’s phone could not yet be checked due to network issues, so both devices were seized.

The couple were initially charged with espionage — disseminating security-related information — and remain in custody.

Meanwhile, police in Surin are among unsung heroes of the war effort, patrolling villages affected by the Thai–Cambodian border clashes. Their mission: to care for pets left behind after residents were evacuated to temporary shelters.

Police feed a dog behind the lines.

In Phanom Dong Rak district, police from the local station — an agency responsible for rear-area security support — are driving through villages delivering pet food for dogs and providing drinking water to villagers who remain in their homes.

Many pets had been left unattended after owners fled to safety during the skirmishes.

Police said they are now responsible for looking after residents’ animals, including stray dogs. For cattle and buffalo, they have coordinated with the Department of Livestock Development, which has deployed teams to care for large livestock.

Under orders, residents in vulnerable areas have been evacuated, and village defence volunteers and animal-care teams have also been assigned.

In addition to caring for animals, police maintain a rapid-response unit of around 10 officers who patrol the border area to gather intelligence on suspected Cambodian spies. They must also keep order in villages across the four affected subdistricts.

Deadly row; unlucky thief; back to jail; crushed

2025-12-07T08:16:00.001+07:00

Meth-fuelled rows turn deadly

Police nab Chanthep at the house.

A mother in Udon Thani stabbed her daughter to death after the pair — both heavy drinkers and meth users — erupted into yet another violent quarrel over their respective lovers.

Police in Nong Saeng district were called to a two-storey house where they found the naked body of Kitiya, or “Beer” (no surname given), 36, lying in a pool of blood on the ground-floor bathroom tiles.

A pink towel had been draped over her. She had a single but deep stab wound to the right side of her neck. A bloodstained knife was lying at the bathroom entrance.

Outside, officers found the killer — Beer’s mother, Chanthep (surname withheld), 52 — sitting drunk on the ground, holding her national ID card and waiting to give herself up. She immediately confessed.

During questioning, Chanthep told police she lived in the house with her 93-year-old mother and daughter Beer. Both women were widowed.

Beer had divorced three husbands and had three children, all of whom live with their fathers; she lived with her own mother and regularly used methamphetamine.

The mother admitted she had previously reported her daughter to police in an attempt to stop her using drugs.

Beer had recently taken up with a new boyfriend, Kamphee, who also had a drug record and was said to be wanted by police.

Chanthep disapproved and told her daughter to end the relationship because “he had no future”. Beer refused — and, according to Chanthep, even forced her own mother to take meth with her.

Complicating matters further, Chanthep herself had a male lover who sometimes stayed over.

Four days before the killing, mother and daughter were drinking heavily together when Beer drove her mother’s boyfriend out of the house in a jealous rage.

The two women fought, with Beer hitting her mother with a chair and shouting abuse.

On the night before the incident, Beer again brought her boyfriend Kamphee to sleep upstairs.

The mother objected and demanded he leave because he was “a ya ba dealer the police were hunting”. Both mother and daughter then drank and used meth together.

By morning, Chanthep was drunk again. Beer awoke and went to shower, and another shouting match erupted.

Enraged, the mother fetched a sharp kitchen knife, held her daughter’s head down and stabbed her in the neck inside the bathroom.

“I’m devastated,” Chanthep told police. “But she wouldn’t listen. What happened has happened. If her spirit can hear me, I want to say I accept all the blame.”

Relatives living next door confirmed that the two women had a long history of violent drunken fights, often brawling or screaming abuse at each other, only to reconcile later with “Mae jaa… Look jaa” tenderness once sober.

Chanthep went to her elder sister’s house after the killing and said, “Hey, I’ve killed Beer”.

Her sister initially did not believe her until she saw the blood on her clothes.

Police said a urine test showed the mother positive for methamphetamine.

She has been charged with causing the death of another person and remains in custody.

Three times was enough

Aran after he was shot three times by the homeowner.

A Phetchaburi man who had suffered a string of break-ins at his farm home opened fire on a teenage burglar, wounding him with three shots after discovering him inside the house.

Police said Santi (no surname given), 65, and his wife had driven out to check the property — a small, unlit, single-storey house set in the middle of rice fields in Muang district — after Santi noticed the CCTV cameras he had installed were suddenly offline.

The house had been burgled three to four times previously, prompting him to set up the system.

When the couple arrived, they found Aran (no surname given), 18, from Ban Laem district, inside the house acting suspiciously.

Santi drew a 9mm handgun and fired three rounds, hitting the teenager in the right shoulder, arm and knee. Aran collapsed on the floor, bleeding heavily, and cried out in pain.

Good Samaritans who reached the scene before police provided first aid before taking him to Phrachomklao Hospital.

Police also found the suspect’s motorcycle parked about 10 metres from the house.

Officers said the house is extremely isolated, surrounded by paddy fields and accessible only by a narrow dirt road with no lighting.

The terrain proved so difficult that both a police patrol car and the station chief’s vehicle skidded off the embankment and became stuck, forcing them to call in a tow truck.

Investigators have seized Santi’s firearm as evidence and will interview both the homeowner and the wounded suspect in detail before proceeding with charges.

Never far from jail

Items stolen by a former inmate who impersonated a corrections officer.

A thief in Nong Khai, recently freed from jail, used a stolen Corrections Department uniform to impersonate an officer while prowling for targets.

Police last week recovered a haul of stolen property worth at least 500,000 baht after raiding the home of the serial burglar.

Police and district officials displayed 141 items of evidence, ranging from electrical appliances, amulets, farm tools, musical instruments, furniture, satellite dishes and solar panels, to toiletries, detergent, instant noodles — even a bag of laundered clothes and eggs.

All were believed to have been stolen from homes across Phon Phisai district.

Police said the burglary spree began in April, with six victims filing complaints over several months.

The breakthrough came on Nov 30, when a man reported his iPad stolen.

Because the device had a tracking app installed, officers followed the GPS signal to a house in Fao Rai district, closing in after dark.

The suspect, however, managed to slip away in the darkness.

Inside the house, police found the mountain of stolen goods — as well as a Corrections Department shirt, mixed in with the loot.

Investigators identified the suspect as a repeat offender who had been released in 2024 after serving time for theft.

He has more than 10 theft convictions and allegedly used a sidecar motorcycle to roam neighbourhoods during daytime hours, targeting houses left empty while residents were at work. He was unnamed in news reports.

Police say he had been telling his wife the items came from people who had forfeited property over unpaid debts.

One of the victims is a Nong Khai provincial prison officer, whose home in Udon Thani’s Sang Khom district was broken into in October.

The burglar smashed a window, disabled CCTV cameras and stole several items, including work uniforms and a laptop.

The officer said the Corrections Department shirt found in the suspect’s house belonged to him; his laptop, however, appears to have been sold on.

He said he did not know the suspect personally, but believed the man had once been an inmate at the same prison and had occasionally been assigned duties assisting staff.

Investigators suspect the thief wore the stolen uniform to pose as an official while scouting neighbourhoods.

Police say an arrest warrant is being sought, and efforts to track down the fugitive are ongoing.

Authorities also urged residents to install CCTV systems linked to Nong Khai police and to report suspicious activity via the 191 hotline.

Strange place to sleep

The tyre of the truck which ran over a homeless man.

A bus driver in Samut Prakan unknowingly ran over a homeless man who had crawled under the vehicle to escape the cold.

Officers from Muang police station received a report on Dec 4 of a fatal accident in the parking area of a restaurant along Sukhumvit Road, opposite the Naval Academy in Pak Nam.

There they found the body of an unidentified man, estimated to be 35–40 years old, with no identification on him.

He was wearing only trousers and was lying on his side, dead on the ground.

His skull had been crushed. Nearby was an employee shuttle bus.

The driver told officers that the vehicle had been parked overnight.

About 6am, he started the engine in preparation to pick up workers.

About half an hour later, he began to pull out.

He felt the bus roll over what he thought was a log, as the vehicle jolted.

He stopped to check, and was horrified to discover he had run over a man, who evidently kept sleeping even as the driver started the vehicle and prepared to leave.

He believed the victim had been sleeping under the bus to keep warm, and the rear wheel had concealed him from view as the driver approached.

Police transferred the body for a forensic autopsy.

The driver has been brought in for further questioning as the probe continues.

Pestle kill; robber hides in tent; scout opens fire

2025-11-30T08:04:00.003+07:00

Clips lead to killer’s confession

Kamollet with the pestle.

Police in Udon Thani have arrested a man who beat his younger brother to death with a wooden pestle, after initially claiming the victim had fallen down the stairs. Two audio clips were pivotal in securing the arrest.

Pol Col Rattapolchay Pensongkram, chief of Chai Wan police, said the case was first reported on Nov 23 when Patcharee (no surname given), 49, sought help, believing her husband, Chaiwat, 50, had been murdered rather than dying from an accident, as relatives claimed.

Chaiwat was found severely injured in a bedroom on the second floor of their house, about three metres away from the staircase.

Rescue workers said he had a deep head wound requiring 13 stitches. He later died at Udon Thani Hospital on Nov 25.

Relatives initially told police that Chaiwat, heavily drunk, had tumbled down the stairs. But investigators found several inconsistencies — including the location of the body — and suspected foul play.

The turning point came when police obtained two audio clips: one of the victim’s elder brother, Kamollet (also known as “Kaeo”), confessing to his daughter; and another from the siblings’ 80-year-old mother, who confided to Ms Patcharee that the brothers had quarrelled violently before the attack.

According to the audio, the row began when Chaiwat stormed into the house demanding the remainder of an inheritance payment.

Their mother had sold family land for 60,000 baht but had given him only 10,000 baht.

Drunk and furious, Chaiwat grabbed a rubber-tapping knife and threatened to harm her.

Police said Kamollet intervened to protect his mother. A struggle ensued, during which he struck Chaiwat in the head with a wooden pestle.

Before that, Chaiwat had slashed him across the abdomen with the knife.

After Chaiwat’s cremation on Wednesday afternoon, which news reports suggested was carried out in suspicious haste, investigators summoned Kamollet for further questioning.

Faced with the evidence, he broke down and admitted the assault, saying he “did not intend to kill” his brother but acted to defend their mother. “I’m sorry he died. I want him to forgive me,” he said tearfully.

“I came back from Mukdahan to look after our mother because he always hurt her when drunk. I lied earlier because I didn’t want her to get into trouble.”

At 7.30pm, police took him back to the house to retrieve the pestle used in the attack. He has been charged with causing death through negligence.

Broadening his rap sheet

Akkhaphon is aplogising to Pornpan.

A former inmate recently released after serving time for a Section 112 (lese majeste) offence has been arrested for assaulting and robbing a woman in Nakhon Phanom.

Pla Pak police nabbed Akkhaphon, known as “Ball” (no surname given), 27, after he broke into a woman’s home on Nov 24 to steal valuables — only to be confronted when the homeowner unexpectedly walked in.

The victim, Pornpan (no surname given), told police she had just opened her front door when she found the intruder rummaging inside.

Before she could react, he launched at her, punching her in the face hard enough to split her chin.

The attacker then swung a folding knife, slashing three fingers on her left hand as she tried to shield herself.

She required 10 stitches, and suffered extensive bruising to her face and body.

The assailant grabbed her handbag, which contained a two-baht gold necklace, a 1-salung gold ring and about 3,000 baht in cash, before fleeing.

Pol Col Watcharapol Sawangphaeo, chief of Pla Pak police, said officers, working with district officials, village defence volunteers and local leaders, blocked all escape routes.

About 11pm, investigators heard the suspect had taken refuge in a small hut in his family’s rice field. Police approached on foot, found a tent, and called out his name.

Moments later, Ball crawled out and surrendered. A search recovered the stolen gold items and cash.

Ball said he had been out of prison for four months, was unemployed, and had separated from his wife, who had taken their child elsewhere. He claimed he wanted money to go visit the child, leading him to break into the victim’s house.

When the victim later identified him, Ball knelt, raised his hands in wai and apologised through tears.

She told police she did not wish to press personal charges, as long as her belongings were returned — but police will pursue the criminal case.

A background check showed Ball had served time for a Section 112 conviction. Police have now charged him with violent robbery and causing serious bodily harm.

Still in short pants

The student in his scout uniform with his gun.

A 17-year-old vocational student dressed in a scout uniform opened fire on a senior schoolmate in Nakhon Ratchasima, killing him in front of horrified friends and bystanders.

Police arrested the shooter in Pak Chong district less than an hour later, along with the homemade pistol he allegedly bought through TikTok.

The shooting occurred around noon on Nov 25 at a convenience shop in Ban Non Pa Tio, along the old Mittraphap Road. Mobile-phone footage, now key evidence, shows the younger student — wearing a red jacket over his scout uniform — arguing with a 19-year-old vocational student in a workshop shirt.

Moments later, he draws a gun and fires five shots at close range, sending students scrambling for cover. The victim, a third-year electrical student at a well-known local vocational institute, was hit three times and later died in hospital.

Pak Chong police tracked the suspect to a village in Pong Talong subdistrict. Officers found him packing clothes, apparently preparing to flee the province. He was arrested on the spot.

The shooter, identified only as “A”, is a first-year vocational student at the same institute. He told police he went to “settle a personal dispute” with the senior student but claimed he was attacked first and feared he would be stabbed.

He said the senior’s friends also moved in to assault him, prompting him to pull the firearm and fire “four or five shots” in self-defence before fleeing on a motorcycle.

Well-known lawyer Chokchai Lertsuwannakul announced on Facebook that he is representing the 17-year-old suspect. He said his client admits to firing the shots but insists it was an act of self-defence after repeated assaults and intimidation by a group of older students.

Mr Chokchai alleged the victim’s circle had terrorised several younger students in the past — assaulting them, threatening them with guns and knives, and causing some to stop attending school out of fear.

Teachers, he claimed, “never questioned why so many students suddenly stopped coming to class”. He vowed to file complaints with provincial police commanders and the national police chief, calling for investigations into the senior students who abused juniors and into old cases that had never been pursued.

He argued that “at least 5–10 people” should be held accountable. “If today hadn’t happened, they would have killed me someday”. According to the lawyer’s account, the boy said he approached the senior group peacefully and even apologised in advance if he had offended them.

Instead, he claimed, he was kicked and then confronted with a knife — prompting him to fire to save his life and escape. “I had no choice,” he said. “If I didn’t defend myself today, one day they would have killed me.”

The lawyer’s post has attracted wide discussion online, with many urging authorities to investigate alleged campus bullying while still allowing the legal process to determine guilt in the fatal shooting. Police have charged the 17-year-old with premeditated murder and are examining the illegal procurement of the firearm.

Evil spirits; lucky escape; bewigged thief; jealousy strikes

2025-11-23T15:55:00.025+07:00

That old bewitched act again

Somyot and Malee, who faked being taken over by spirits.

A husband and wife in Chiang Rai, accused of supplying crystal meth, slipped into a clever act designed to distract police.

During questioning, the wife suddenly began trembling violently, her lips quivering as she rambled unintelligibly.

Her husband rushed to hold her up, telling police that “a spirit has entered her.”

Police were not convinced. An officer warned her: “Tell her to stay calm. If she doesn’t, we’ll put her in handcuffs — and lock up the spirit along with her.”

The pair eventually dropped the act and cooperated.

Highway police nabbed Somyot (no surname given), 67, of Wiang Phang Kham in Mae Sai district, and his wife, Malee, 63, both of Akha ethnicity. The arrest took place on a road behind Mae Sai Hospital.

They were wanted on Lampang Provincial Court warrants issued on Sept 24 for jointly possessing crystal methamphetamine to sell. The couple were taken to Chiang Rai Immigration for documentation.

During questioning, Malee started behaving as if she was having a fit.

She launched into a full-body tremble: shaking hands, quivering lips, eyes rolling like marbles in a cup.

Her husband stepped in solemnly to explain the situation: a spirit had entered her body, he said, as if that would persuade police to have second thoughts about charging the pair.

Police, who must have seen it all before, were unmoved.

After Malee stopped the theatrics, officers proceeded with the arrest report. The couple were handed over to Sobprab police station in Lampang.

The case stems from an earlier arrest on Aug 5 when Sobprab police stopped a bus passenger, Santipap (no surname given), 27. from Surat Thani, who was travelling from Mae Sai to Bangkok.

Officers found 10 tea packets, each containing 500 grammes of crystal meth — five kilogrammes in total, worth about 1.5 million baht — hidden in his luggage beneath the bus.

Under questioning, Santipap said he had travelled from Bangkok to stay at a resort in Mae Sai, and before returning had picked up the drugs from Somyot and Malee at a viewpoint on Doi Pha Mee.

He then mixed the packets among snacks and clothing in his suitcase before boarding the bus, only to be arrested at Sobprab.

Police tracked down his suppliers, Somyot and Malee, who were duly arrested and charged.

Ride-hail driver attacks customer

Arisara, who was attacked by the Bolt driver.

A 19-year-old woman narrowly escaped an attempted sexual assault by a Bolt ride-hailing driver while traveling from her dorm to a tattoo shop in Bang Kruai, Nonthaburi.

The incident, which took place on Sept 10, came to light last week after the victim Arisara (surname withheld) appealed to a local victim’s advocate for help.

Police had told her forensic tests on the clothes she wore would take 2-3 months, which she thought was too long. The suspect was arrested shortly after the attack.

Recouting the episode, Arisara said she booked the ride via the Bolt app for a 23km journey from her dorm on Chan 24 Road to the Smooth Tattoo shop in Bang Kruai.

Arisara told reporters the driver had initially flattered her and admitted he was married.

He also tried to coax her to a hotel, though she declined his advances.

Close to the tattoo shop, the driver parked the vehicle and climbed from the front to the back seat. He groped her under her skirt, and attempted to penetrate her, she said.

He also tried to restrain her using the passenger seatbelt. She fought back, escaped, and ran into the tattoo shop for help. The driver, in a grey BYD Atto 3, fled the scene.

Arisara and the shop owner later contacted him via the Bolt app, but he denied the allegations, claiming she gave a “one-sided” account.

Arisara reported the incident to Bang Kruai police and submitted her clothing for forensic examination. Officers sent her for a medical exam.

While she was still being examined, police said they had detained a suspect and asked her to identify him, but she was too frightened.

She provided her clothing from the attack for forensic testing, when she was told about the likely 2–3 month wait, causing her further anxiety.

Arisara sought the help of media outlets and local activist Chotinan “Pae” Lertritphuwadol, who said forensic results should not take that long.

He pushed investigators to speed up the process, saying such behaviour damaged the reputation of honest ride-hailing drivers.

Thief impersonates woman

Thanathon wearing an unconvincing wig.

A former army conscript drill instructor in Bangkok disguised himself as a woman to rob a convenience store.

The suspect, wearing a long brown wig and mask, robbed the store in the Hua Mak area, claiming before staff that he was doing it because his child was sick.

Despite the disguise, investigators traced him through CCTV footage and arrested him at his condo.

Pol Maj Gen Kampanat Arunkeeriroj, commander of Metropolitan Police Division 4, together with Hua Mak police, announced the arrest of Thanathon (surname withheld), 23, originally from Kalasin province.

Officers seized a brown wig, the outfit used in the crime, and a grey Toyota Yaris Ativ in whch he left the scene.

Police say a man dressed like a woman entered a convenience store on Rama IX Soi 57 on Nov 12.

Wearing a mask and carrying a knife, he ordered the clerk to put cash into a bag. He escaped with around 10,000 baht.

As part of the ruse, he even told the staff he needed money because his “child was sick” — a claim later proven false, as police say he is childless.

The suspect fled along the walkway beside Klong Kacha. Later, officers searching the area found a pair of black sports shoes hidden under the walkway, matching those worn by the robber.

Police reviewing additional cameras saw a grey Toyota Yaris drive into Rama IX Soi 49 near the canal about 1.25 am.

A man wearing a black T-shirt and black trousers exited the car and walked toward the canal — an access route that leads directly to Soi 57 where the robbery occurred.

After the robbery, the man was seen returning to the car and driving away.

Officers followed the trail through multiple cameras, eventually identifying the vehicle’s registered owner: his girlfriend.

Police later found the suspect living with her at a condo in Ramkhamhaeng Soi 26.

For the robbery, he wore a white long-sleeved T-shirt, black trousers, dark sports shoes, and a long brown wig.

On Nov 16, police raided the condo and arrested Thanathon. Inside, police found the wig, the clothing worn in the robbery, and other evidence.

He confessed, telling police he had recently completed military service and had worked as an assistant drill instructor.

He robbed the store, he said, because he had lost his job and needed money to pay debts and daily expenses. He did not say why he chose to go disguised as a woman.

He has been charged with armed robbery at night while concealing his identity and using a vehicle to facilitate the crime or escape.

No threesomes, thanks

Nan, who shot her unfaithful husband.

A clothing vendor in Nakhon Pathom shot her husband four times after discovering he had resumed a relationship with his ex-wife. The husband, Sumet (no surname given) 36, was seriously injured but survived.

Police said the shooting occurred in front of a public road in Nakhon Chai Si district, close to their home, on Nov 19. The woman, Nan (no surname given) 59, was caught with a registered .38 calibre revolver and the car in which she fled the scene. She admitted the motive was jealousy and anger over the husband’s betrayal.

Nan said she and Sumet had lived together for six years. During his recent nine-month prison sentence for possession of firearms, she continued to support him and visit regularly.

After his release, he began seeing his ex-wife again and proposed living together in a three-person arrangement, with alternating days at each residence.

Nan rejected this arrangement. Angered by the situation, she had been observing him for three days before confronting him and firing the shots.

Witnesses reported hearing arguments followed by four gunshots. Sumeth was hit in the torso and right thigh and suffered serious injuries.

He was taken to Nakhon Pathom Hospital by bystanders. Police charged Nan with attempted murder and firearms matters.

Wrong target; night of angst; shop thugs; sleepy kill

2025-11-16T15:42:00.001+07:00

Oh well, time to exit

The gold shop thief in Udon Thani

A failed gold shop thief in Udon Thani took his own life after an exchange of gunfire with the shop owner left him injured in the arm.

The dramatic scenes unfolded at the store in Wua Kong market in Muang district when the man entered carrying a gold necklace, claiming he wanted to pawn it.

The shop owner, a woman known for her composure and firearms training, examined the necklace and determined it was fake.

The man, identified as Sakda Yotsuwan, 51, from Phen district, then pulled out a 9mm Taurus G30 pistol and demanded 200,000 baht in cash.

The owner pretended to comply, saying she would fetch the money from the back, but instead armed herself with a .38 Smith & Wesson revolver and alerted police.

A gunfight erupted inside the shop. Witnesses reported hearing between four and eight shots.

The robber fired several rounds, and the owner returned fire, one bullet striking him in the left shoulder, wounding him.

The shop’s automatic locking door was activated, trapping him inside.

Unable to escape, the robber sat down in the corner of the shop, visibly distressed.

After a pause, he raised his pistol to his right temple and shot himself, dying instantly.

Police and rescue teams arrived minutes later to find him slumped against a red chair, his weapon between his legs.

Investigators found his white Mitsubishi Triton pickup parked outside.

The shop owner, shaken but unharmed, said he had been a regular customer and she recognised him.

She added that he had first tried to pawn the fake necklace, then demanded cash when refused.

Police confirmed that both firearms — the robber’s pistol and the owner’s revolver — were legally registered.

They noted the shop’s security measures, including steel bars, alarm systems, and automatic doors, prevented the robber from fleeing and likely saved lives.

Authorities said rising gold prices may be encouraging such crimes. They praised the owner’s quick thinking and composure.

It was also reported that she is the wife of a senior police officer with the rank of police colonel, and that she regularly practises shooting.

The body was sent for autopsy, and police are reviewing CCTV footage and forensic evidence. No prior criminal record was found for the suspect.

One row too many

The Pattaya night worker who stabbed herself

A Pattaya night worker stabbed herself fatally with a knife after a row with her co-worker boyfriend over her sexy attire.

She also asked him for a kiss during work hours, a request he turned down, which annoyed her further.

The 25-year-old woman, upset with her boyfriend, stabbed herself in the chest and died in her apartment in Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri.

Her boyfriend, “Champ” (no other details given), 38, said he was in shock, as they had discussed marriage only days earlier.

Champ

The building was a four-unit commercial structure converted into a five-storey dormitory, fully occupied across 45 rooms.

In her ground floor room, rescue workers and police found New (no surname given), 25, lying in the bathroom wearing only underwear, with a stab wound to the chest.

A 20cm Japanese filleting knife was recovered nearby. Despite resuscitation efforts, she was pronounced dead.

Champ told police they had been dating for six to seven months. They worked at the same pub in Pattaya — she as a greeter/front-of-house, he as a manager — and often argued because she suspected he might return to an ex-girlfriend.

Around midnight, she had messaged him asking for a kiss, but he declined as he was on duty. He admitted they had argued earlier about her revealing attire. Later, after the venue closed, she returned to her apartment.

When he arrived around 5.10 am, she had locked the door and refused to answer. He called repeatedly and knocked at length, without success. After more than an hour, he hired a locksmith to open the room, finding her collapsed in the bathroom.

Police said New had a history of treatment for depression. CCTV footage showed she returned at 4:52am, Champ followed at 5:09am, and the locksmith arrived at 6.07am. Rescue workers reached the scene about 20 minutes later.

Neighbours said the couple argued frequently, sometimes requiring police patrols to intervene. Authorities have not yet concluded whether the death was self‑inflicted or involved foul play. The body has been sent to the Police General Hospital’s forensic institute for an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.

Spat over shop fumes

Armed ruffians threaten the couple outside their home

A spat between a couple of new parents and a nearby paint shop in Bangkok led to an ugly scene, shared on social media, in which a gang of armed ruffians threatened the couple outside their home.

A clip shows a group of young men armed with a knife, baseball bats, and glass bottles threatening a man at his home while he and his wife were caring for their young child.

In the clip, 3–4 men surround the front of a house and try to force their way in to attack the victim, “Ae,” (no other details given) right in front of his wife, who is holding their one-year-old child.

The group was linked to a car-paint shop next door to the victim’s home in Soi Phahonyothin 48 of Bang Khen district.

Ae and his wife told reporters that on Nov 7, the group had approached them in an aggressive manner, leading to an argument and forcing Ae to carry a hoe for self-defence.

On Nov 8, while he was taking out the rubbish, he encountered the group again and they tried to provoke him, prompting him to call the police repeatedly until about 1 am.

He eventually filed a complaint with Bang Khen police for nighttime trespass and intimidation, and the situation quietened down.

Ae’s wife said she feared for her husband’s and child’s safety. She believes the conflict stems from complaints she made previously about the car-paint shop’s fumes, which caused her migraines and led to their one-year-old developing a lung infection requiring hospitalisation.

The complaint angered the shop workers. The car-paint shop’s owners acknowledged one of the men involved in the incident is indeed one of their mechanics.

They said the event took place after working hours and management was unaware at the time.

The dispute originally began as a personal clash between the mechanic and the victim over cigarette smoke, which then escalated to complaints about paint fumes, the owners said.

They insist their painting process meets safety standards, and they have installed an air-purification system to reduce odours.

A representative from the shop also took a news team to see the two spray-and-bake rooms, showing they are fully enclosed, equipped with filtration systems, and operated with proper business licences.

The mechanic involved in the incident has since been suspended.

That’s over, time for a sleep

The man who beat an older friend to death

A man in Nakhon Si Thammarat beat an older friend to death with a wooden stick during a fight over drugs, dumped the body in a drainage canal by the road, and then calmly went back home to sleep.

Police arrested him hours later, when he admitted he had been hallucinating from drug use.

Police were called to the scene of the killing, a drainage stream in Chang Klang district. They found the body of the victim, identified only as Pho, 46, a resident.

He was lying on his side in the stream with multiple deep wounds to the back of his head. Police estimated he had been dead for at least 6–8 hours.

The suspect, Ekachai (no surname given), 40, whose house was about 50 metres from the scene, was found asleep and taken into custody.

Investigators learned the two men had been longtime friends, but in recent months had been arguing often over illegal drug activity.

Ekachai said the victim had come to his house late the previous night, and they argued about drugs. Pho allegedly struck him first with a machete, prompting him to grab a piece of wood and beat the victim until he ran out toward the road.

Ekachai chased after him and continued hitting him until he fell prone. After that, he said he went back home to sleep.

Pol Col Pongpichan Chayananpiriyap, superintendent of Chang Klang station, said the suspect was a heavy drug user and regularly suffers from hallucinations.

Ekachai expressed remorse and confessed. He has been charged with causing death by assault, and after testing positive for drugs, an additional charge of drug use was added.

Story of pity; clumsy thieves; scary ladle; wedding crash

2025-11-09T15:35:00.001+07:00

A glimpse into life on the edge

Prayong apologises to Aoy

In a cramped alley of Udon Thani’s old Khao Chan community, a 66-year-old widow known simply as Aoy lives by boiling peanuts.

Every morning, she lights her small charcoal stove and sells bags of the warm, salty nuts to anyone passing by — a modest living that keeps her and her family afloat.

But life on the edge offers little protection. On Wednesday night, while most of the country celebrated Loy Krathong, Aoy fought off a drunken man who crawled into her mosquito net and tried to have sex with her — twice.

Police later arrested 49-year-old Prayong (no surname given), a day labourer from the area, who admitted he had been drinking heavily with friends.

“I was drunk and got aroused,” he told officers after being taken into custody. “I went over to ask if I could sleep with her, but she kicked me in the face.”

The case might have ended there, with an apology and a minor charge for disorderly conduct. But behind the story of a drunk and a grandmother lies a much harsher reality — one of poverty, displacement and danger.

Aoy has been a widow for over a decade. She once rented a small home for 1,000 baht a month, where she lived with her youngest son, Ek, and three grandchildren.

But when she fell behind on rent, the owner told her to leave. With nowhere else to go, Aoy asked a friend for permission to sleep in front of a rented room nearby. She now pays 300 baht a month for that tiny patch of ground, where she spreads her mat and mosquito net each night.

Her son and grandchildren sleep elsewhere — at a nearby temple, where monks let them eat leftovers and share space under a corrugated roof.

“I just wanted to be safe and have somewhere to rest,” Aoy told police. “I didn’t think something like this could happen.”

That night, the man had been drinking white liquor just four or five metres away. Around 9 pm, he crawled into her net and propositioned her. Startled, Aoy kicked him in the face. He retreated, but returned later and began touching her leg. Again, she kicked him out. “After that, I couldn’t sleep,” she said. “I sat awake until morning and told my son.”

Officers charged Prayong with “being drunk and causing a public disturbance” and advised Aoy to file a separate complaint for sexual harassment.

But her story has already touched a nerve — a reminder of how Thailand’s elderly poor, especially women, are left to fend for themselves.

Even as officials discuss whether she might be moved to a state-run shelter for the aged, Aoy says she only wants one thing: “A small place where I can live and sell my peanuts in peace.”

Gold shop thieves flee

Mobin is spread-eagled on the ground.

Debt and desperation drove two men to a failed daylight robbery in Chanthaburi.

A 40-year-old father and his teenage stepson tried to rob a gold shop in the province, in what police described as a “desperate act to pay off gambling debts.”

The pair were quickly captured after the shop owner, keeping his wits about him, pulled out a gun and sent them running.

The incident took place on Nov 5 at Mae Kim Tiang Gold Shop in Nong Khla, Tha Mai district.

CCTV footage shows the older man, identified as Mobin (no surname given), walking in first, pretending to browse. Moments later his 18-year-old stepson Suppadit followed, wearing a black balaclava, and smashed the glass display case with a hammer.

But before they could grab a single necklace, the owner drew a handgun and shouted at them to stop. Startled, the two bolted from the shop and sped away.

Police patrols quickly sealed off nearby roads, and within 40 minutes both men were caught hiding in the area.

Mobin, who works odd jobs and lives nearby, said he owed money to gambling creditors in Rayong. With debt collectors pressing hard, he said he had planned the robbery with his stepson as a last-ditch attempt to raise cash.

“I just wanted to pay what I owed,” he told police.

Neither man managed to steal anything, though the shop owner sustained minor cuts while struggling to fend them off. Police are investigating whether the two are linked to other thefts in the region.

Too hot to handle

The trader chases away the thief with a ladle

A city curry trader gave a thief a run for his money when he snatched her gold necklace and she chased him off with a ladle.

Wang Thonglang police were called to the robbery at a curry stall in Soi Ramkhamhaeng 53.

A 50-year-old vendor told officers that while she was serving food, a man suddenly pulled a knife on her and snatched her gold bracelet, weighing two baht, before fleeing toward the end of the soi.

But the victim refused to back down — she grabbed her ladle and ran after him, striking out as she chased.

At the same time, a good Samaritan identified as Burhan (no surname given) and other nearby residents joined the pursuit and alerted police.

The chase ended in Soi Lat Phrao 107, Lane 14 — a dead end — where the suspect lost control of his motorcycle and fell, allowing officers and locals to capture him on the spot.

Police seized the stolen gold and the motorcycle used in the crime, and took the suspect in for legal action.

Pol Col Jetsada Yangnok, chief of Wang Thonglang police, ordered increased patrols in the early-morning hours when many food stalls open — a period often targeted by thieves.

He also thanked the public for helping detain the suspect.

The victim told reporters she had been selling curry around 3 am when the man approached her stall, pulled a knife, and grabbed her bracelet.

As she shouted for help, her daughter came out from inside — prompting the suspect to turn his knife on the young woman before fleeing.

“I was terrified, but I had to fight back,” she said. “Next time, I probably won’t wear any gold while working. I don’t want to go through that again.”

Wrong gear, right timing

The car after it drove into the wedding hall, and the chaotic aftermath.

Guests at a wedding in Krabi had a narrow escape when a car suddenly plowed into the reception hall just after the celebration ended.

Police from Muang station were called to a function venue where a grey sedan smashed through the front wall of a banquet hall used for a wedding party.

Tables, glassware and decorations lay scattered across the floor, but by sheer luck no one was injured — the guests had already gone home.

The driver, a 41-year-old woman named Sumaporn (no surname given), was found sitting near the car in shock, waiting for police and the insurance company to arrive.

She said the party had just wrapped up and she was heading home. Her car uses a dial-type gear selector, and she wasn’t sure if she’d turned it to “reverse” or “drive.”

When she pressed the accelerator, the vehicle suddenly shot forward instead of backing out, crashing straight through the wall and coming to a halt near the stage.

“I didn’t even have time to think — one second I was parking, the next I was inside the hall,” she told police, trembling.

The bride’s uncle, Jongsak (no surname given), 61, who hosted the wedding, said he initially thought he’d heard fireworks.

“It sounded like someone set off firecrackers,” he said. “Then I turned and saw the car coming right through the front.”

Fortunately, the reception had ended only minutes earlier. “If the guests were still here, there could have been injuries,” Jongsak added. “We were very lucky.”

Family justice; pants down; double shift; market pest

2025-11-02T15:24:00.032+07:00

Visiting hours are over

The crime scene outside the house where Phanupong was shot.

A furious brother in Phatthalung province took the law into his own hands after learning that his sister had been repeatedly beaten by her boyfriend and hospitalised with depression.

Unable to bear it any longer, he stormed the man’s house and shot him. When the sister, Nipa (no surname given), 48, a village headwoman’s assistant, heard the news that her boyfriend had been gunned down, she collapsed in shock.

Rescue workers took Phanupong, also known as “Phak Kad” (no surname given), 28, from his home in Muang district to the emergency room at Phatthalung Hospital.

Four armed men had driven to his house and shot him in front of his mother and 16-year-old brother.

The motive stemmed from Phanupong’s jealousy and violent temper. Family members said he and his girlfriend argued often, and he would assault her.

After the most recent beating, she was admitted to hospital, and her younger brother, hearing the news, decided to get even on her behalf.

Upon hearing Phanupong had been shot, the girlfriend — who was occupying a bed at the same hospital — grabbed her IV stand and hurried from her ward to the emergency room.

When she saw her boyfriend there, she collapsed to the floor in tears. Staff quickly wheeled her back to her room.

Meanwhile, the victim’s mother cried, shouting to everyone present that her son was responsible for the shooting.

The attack occurred in Tha Khae subdistrict. Police found bloodstains behind the house, two spent 9mm shells, one live round, and bullet marks on three walls.

Relatives said Arm (no other names given), the woman’s brother, arrived in a black Toyota Fortuner with several accomplices, armed with guns.

He confronted Phanupong, and they argued.

Moments later, Arm drew his gun and shot him in front of his mother. The victim fled out the back of the house, while Arm and his group sped away.

Nipa’s 16-year-old brother told police his sister suffered from depression.

On the morning of the incident, Phanupong and his sister had a violent quarrel, which ended with Phanupong ordering her to leave.

Later, the family learned she had been admitted to the hospital.

That evening, Arm — angry over his sister’s injuries — arrived at the house with his armed companions and carried out the shooting.

Phatthalung City Police are pursuing Arm and his accomplices.

Lender’s revenge laid bare

The suspect.

Nonthaburi police arrested a man from an illegal loan gang after he attacked a debtor and exposed his genitals in a brazen challenge.

The incident occurred early on Oct 22 at a rented room in Bang Bua Thong subdistrict.

The victim, 56, sustained more than eight stitches to her mouth and suffered head trauma in the assault. The gang also damaged her property, including her motorcycle.

Police say the men tracked the victim to her rental room and attacked her. One also exhibited brazen behaviour by removing his pants and exposing his genitals, challenging the victim to record it as evidence.

On Oct 28, police nabbed a suspect (unnamed in news reports), 43, from Phayao province. He faces multiple charges, including running an unauthorised lending business, charging extortionate interest, and assault causing serious injury.

The suspect claimed he was not part of a loan shark gang but said the victim had known his wife, who had previously visited her salon.

The victim asked to borrow 20,000 baht to invest in a business, and he lent it interest-free out of sympathy.

The victim was supposed to repay 200 baht daily but later stopped, cutting off contact.

On the night of the incident, he went to collect the outstanding debt. The victim abused him and tried to chase him away, he said.

In anger, he assaulted her. As for exposing himself, he said the victim tried to photograph him, so he retaliated by removing his pants.

The charges he faces do not yet include indecent exposure, though that may come.

Collector thief disgraces dad

CCTV footage shows the garbage collector stealing water meters.

Police in Nonthaburi are seeking a garbage collector — son of a well-known village headman — who toured the village in his rubbish truck stealing water meters from local homes.

His father resigned in embarrassment when he heard the news.

The case began after CCTV footage posted by locals showed a Subdistrict Administration Organisation (SAO) garbage collector stealing water meters in a village early on Oct 22.

On Oct 29, Pol Col Nattadecha Thanisaphatpong, superintendent of Sai Noi police, said investigators had obtained a warrant for Pornyot (surname withheld), 39, on charges of theft.

Jare Sunhua, provincial security officer, said social media reports identified the culprit as Pornyot, a temporary employee serving as a garbage collector and the son of “S”, village headman of Sai Noi subdistrict. S submitted his resignation the same day as the news came to light.

Reporters visited the village after the Facebook page “News, Nonthaburi Residents” posted CCTV footage of a theft which occurred on Oct 14.

On Oct 22, the community water meter at the front of the village was also stolen. Villagers began noticing more cases, as several houses — mostly unoccupied, abandoned, or foreclosed by banks — also had their water meters stolen.

In total, seven homes were affected. The thief not only stole meters but was also seen using a flashlight to check for valuables inside abandoned houses.

Villagers reviewed CCTV footage themselves and identified the culprit as a SAO garbage collector who regularly services the village.

He would arrive in the truck but steal meters when no one was watching. His two team members were unaware of the thefts.

The driver, also the team leader, would notify the team via a LINE group whenever he was coming to collect garbage.

Upon reviewing the footage, villagers confirmed it was the same person.

Most villagers did not report the thefts because the local water authority replaced the meters free of charge.

However, the villagers’ shared meter required an additional installation fee of 1,000 baht, so a police report was filed at Sai Noi station.

After reviewing the footage, officials at the SAO confirmed the truck belonged to them and the culprit was wearing an SAO uniform.

The village chairman expressed concern, saying the thief, using a local body vehicle, tarnished the agency’s reputation and trust with residents.

Villagers now feel they must supervise garbage collection, even waking up early to watch, for fear of further incidents. Police are looking for the suspect.

Bargain basement theft

Dam

A former security guard in Nonthaburi was caught stealing from a fresh market and giving the goods to his wife to sell at cut-rate prices, with one victim claiming he had stolen from her multiple times.

He admitted his wrongdoing, saying he did it because he was jobless, addicted to drugs, and needed money.

CCTV footage showed Dam (no other names given), 41, rummaging through a grocery stall in Nonthaburi municipality market.

Vendors there say they’re fed up — more than 20 stalls have been robbed over the past few months. Nonthaburi city police, armed with a court warrant, arrested Dam at his home on charges of theft.

They also brought along Sunee Muangmak, 54, one of his victims who had reported the case and supplied the incriminating footage, to confirm the suspect’s identity.

Mrs Sunee scolded Dam to his face, saying he had stolen from her daily.

She’d even caught him several times, yet he never showed remorse, despite her kindness in occasionally giving him food and money.

Worse, Dam had his wife set up a stall to sell the stolen goods at bargain prices.

Dam offered a wai in apology, admitting he had “broken his own rice pot” (a colloqualism).

He mainly targeted cigarettes and household goods he could resell easily.

Having once worked as a security guard at the market, he knew where vendors hid their stock.

He said his drug addiction clouded his judgment and that unemployment drove him to steal.

Scam gang grief; debt write-off; no match for AI

2025-10-26T15:15:00.029+07:00

Miu’s parents fear the worst

Miu: Missing

The mother of a 19-year-old woman missing in Cambodia denies her ex-husband’s claim that she sold their daughter to a scam network.

Rungruedee (no surname given), 38, the mother of “Miu”, said she had gone to the Eastern Regional Office of the Coordination Center for Assistance to Thais Abroad (IMF) to ask for help locating her daughter.

Miu was allegedly lured to Poipet, Cambodia, to work as a mule for a call-centre scam.

She said she found what looked like a legitimate warehouse packing job through TikTok and helped her daughter apply. Miu has been missing since Oct 16, a week after travelling for the job.

Jo, the tearful father

“I may not have money,” she said tearfully, “but I would never sell my own child”.

Earlier, the young woman’s father, Jo (no surname given), a 47-year-old truck driver in Chachoengsao, accused his ex-wife of selling her to the gang.

“I think she sold our daughter,” he said flatly. “She took her to open four bank accounts, and then suddenly my girl disappeared across the border.”

Jo said Rungruedee promised to travel with their daughter to the new workplace but backed out at the last minute, claiming the van was full.

He has since filed a missing-person report and pleaded for government help to bring his daughter home.

“My daughter has never travelled anywhere alone,” he said. “I just want her back safely.”

But the girl’s mother tells a different story.

Meeting reporters with red-rimmed eyes, Rungruedee insisted she had nothing to do with her daughter’s disappearance, and certainly did not sell her child.

Miu had been eager to work and had told her she could travel on her own because her mother needed to stay home with a young son.

Rungruedee said she had separated from her husband years ago and had little contact with her daughter while the girl was growing up.

Rungruedee: Denies selling daughter

Recently, Miu reached out to her for advice about school problems, saying she had failed several subjects and needed 9,000 baht to pay for make-up exams to graduate from her vocational course.

The mother said she and relatives pooled money to help.

After graduation, they stayed in touch. Miu told her she did not want to work with her father in Chachoengsao, fearing discomfort with his new family, and later said she preferred a job in Chon Buri.

Rungruedee said she mentioned a warehouse position she had seen online in Aranyaprathet district, Sa Kaeo province, and asked if her daughter was interested.

When Miu agreed, she sent her the documents to apply and asked whether she felt comfortable travelling alone, as Rungruedee had to care for her young son.

“She said she was grown up now and could manage on her own,” the mother said.

Rungruedee added Miu had also spoken to her father before setting off.

She denied forcing her daughter to go and said she had not verified the company’s address or legitimacy — only that it was called “Hia Wut Warehouse”.

The mother admitted taking her daughter to open four bank accounts — two in Nakhon Ratchasima and two in Bangkok — following instructions from an online recruiter known as “Admin Phrae”, whom she later learned was linked to the scam.

After Miu vanished, Rungruedee tried contacting the recruiter to demand her daughter’s return but was repeatedly stalled. On Oct 17, the recruiter blocked her number.

“I just keep praying for my daughter to come back safely,” she said, fighting tears. “Mum loves you very much.”

She said Miu recently called from a strange number that appeared to be international, but when she tried calling back, the line was dead.

Inquiries into her whereabouts continue.

Loan shark denies murder

Sirisan: 'Just playing around'

Police have nabbed a loan shark who allegedly ordered a man to jump into a canal, resulting in his death by drowning.

The suspect claimed they were only joking around as friends, and the debt involved was just 500 baht — not drug money.

Officers have charged him with two offences.

Khlong Luang police arrested Sirisan “Mos” (no surname given), 44, at a public park in a housing estate.

Pol Col Athimes Chaisarunvich, station superintendent, said the arrest stemmed from a report filed by one of his investigators, about a man who jumped into a canal behind soi Khlong Luang 48 and drowned.

A witness told police that Sirisan had ordered the victim, later identified as Wanchit (no surname given), 33, to jump into the water. Another friend, Serm, 29, witnessed the incident.

Investigators learned Sirisan, who knew both the victim and the witness, had demanded repayment of money related to drugs and a phone bill.

The incident occurred near the canal, where Sirisan allegedly told the victim to jump in, saying, “If you jump, the debt will disappear”.

Police also found that all three men had taken drugs before the incident.

The victim, in a weakened state, jumped into the fast-moving canal.

Witness Serm also jumped in, but Sirisan reportedly said, “Let him die”, and did not help.

Officers said the suspect was capable of helping but chose not to, which directly led to the victim’s death.

A background check showed all three had previous involvement with drugs.

Sirisan has been charged intentional murder and coercing another person to act or refrain from acting under threat of harm.

When questioned by reporters, Sirisan denied forcing the victim to jump.

“No, I didn’t,” he said. “We argued, yes, but it was just about 500 baht he borrowed and hadn’t paid back.

“It wasn’t about drugs. After he jumped in and I saw he was in trouble, I tried to help him. We were friends, just teasing each other — no serious fight or violence before it happened.”

Legal proceedings against him have begun.

They never had a chance

The suspects: Smile, you're on crime watch

AI-powered police surveillance cameras tracked three suspects connected to “mule accounts” while they were riding a motorcycle in Pattaya — prompting an immediate law enforcement response.

On Oct 20, the AI Detect cameras installed by the Tourist Police Headquarters in Pattaya, Bang Lamung district, captured three Thai men riding a motorcycle together.

The AI system instantly flagged that all three had active arrest warrants related to “mule account” fraud and sent an alert to officers, who mobilised to intercept them.

Police caught the suspects under a bridge in South Pattaya, Nong Prue sub-district.

The suspects, riding a blue Yamaha Fino, were identified as Supawit, 20; Wayu, 21; and Panawat, 20 (no surnames given).

All had outstanding warrants issued by Bang Sue Criminal Court.

They face charges of conspiracy to commit fraud and knowingly allowing others to use bank or electronic accounts for criminal purposes, including falsifying computer data that could harm others.

Officers detained them for questioning.

The three admitted to being the individuals named in the warrants.

They confessed to opening multiple bank accounts for brokers in Bangkok at 2,000 baht per account, claiming they were unaware how the accounts were used.

The suspects said financial difficulties had led them to agree to open the accounts before coming to Pattaya to find work, where they were subsequently arrested.

Investigators said the individuals were considered key suspects by the Metropolitan Police Headquarters, as they were part of a major network of mule accounts linked to call-centre and scam gangs.

Pol Lt Col Supharat Meepreecha and Pol Lt Col Apichart Jarurak, officers of Tourist Police Division 4, enthused about the efficiency of the AI cameras.

“This is the first case in Thailand where our AI cameras have demonstrated the ability to capture three wanted individuals simultaneously on a motorbike — and they are key suspects in fraud cases,” they said.

The Tourist Police have also deployed high-performance drones to enhance operations.

These drones can be sent immediately whenever the AI cameras issue an alert, tracking suspects in real time.

Nasty twist to scam tales; knife in the back; nasty tom

2025-10-19T07:38:00.001+07:00

In the name of love

Watchalaporn: Lost vehicles

A scam artist in Loei province, who unbeknown to his latest victim had eight arrest warrants against his name, wasted no time in declaring his love for her.

Watchalaporn (no surname given), 32, from Loei, was duped through a dating page by a man identified as Thawatchai (no surname given), 41, from Sa Kaeo province.

After meeting him online, he came to her house just a day later on Sept 19, professing love and promising marriage.

Over several weeks, he convinced her to let him borrow vehicles — two pickup trucks and a motorcycle — under various pretexts, including business investment trips and cash withdrawals.

By Oct 15, he had vanished with all three vehicles, valued at more than 1.2 million baht. Investigations revealed he has eight previous fraud warrants for similar scams.

Recounting the saga, Watchalaporn, who lives in Wang Saphung district, admitted they chatted for a single day before he professed his love and drove across several provinces to meet her in person.

“He said he wanted to live with me and build a life together,” she recalled. Believing she had found someone sincere, she let him move in.

The promises came thick and fast. Within days, the man was talking about marriage. Her elder sister, 34, said he even ordered gravel to pave the yard — “so the wedding guests wouldn’t trip,” he joked.

The family took it as a good sign.

But the dream soured quickly. Soon after settling in, the man asked to borrow two vehicles — a motorcycle and a pickup truck — saying he wanted to change the tyres.

First, on Oct 10, he asked to borrow the motorcycle, a blue Honda Wave 125. Later that night he phoned, asking to be picked up in Wang Saphung town, claiming the repairs were not finished.

Two days later, he lured the family into another errand — a trip to Sakon Nakhon to “collect money” from someone who owed his mother.

They drove there in a grey Toyota Revo pickup. At a market, he told them to wait while he fetched the cash.

When he returned, he said the money had already been transferred to his mother, then asked to take the truck for another tyre change.

At 10 pm, he called again from a petrol station, saying the vehicle was still being serviced and asking to be picked up. By then, the family started to get suspicious, but did not act fast enough.

On Oct 15, Thawatchai asked to take a white Isuzu pickup into Muang district of Loei to withdraw money. That was the last they saw of him.

By the time the woman filed a complaint with Nong Ya Plong police, all three vehicles were gone, along with her dreams of love.

Officers revealed the man is accused of hatching similar scams in other provinces.

Adding insult to injury, the same day the family received a call from a used-car dealership in Bangkok’s Bang Khae district, asking about the Isuzu pickup being offered for sale.

When they told the dealer it had been stolen, he sent back a short video clip confirming the vehicle’s identity. Police are looking for him.

In another fraud case which hit the headlines last week, a factory worker from Maha Sarakham was duped by a woman he met at a dating site into thinking she was more attractive than she claimed, which is nothing usual for such scams.

'A': Told to have sex

She borrowed large sums from him, but in a nasty twist when he asked for the money back, was told he would have to make love to her first.

Ekaphop Luangprasert, founder of the Facebook page “Sai Mai Must Survive,” who helps victims of crime, took “A” (no other details given), to lay a complaint with police about the woman.

Nong Ploy (no other names given), about 30 years old, claimed to run a textile factory. They met in July last year.

Although she refused to do a video call, saying she was shy, she sent nearly 50 photos, convincing A of her authenticity. Soon after, Nong Ploy began asking to borrow small amounts of money, starting with 1,000 baht.

She later claimed she needed funds to produce a large batch of shirts and warned that her factory might close — or that she might commit suicide — if the money was not provided.

Trusting her and believing in their relationship, A borrowed 100,000–200,000 baht from colleagues, pawned his Toyota Vios for 60,000 baht, and transferred additional bonus money to her. Over the course of a year, he lost between 500,000–600,000 baht.

In June 2025, after losing his job and facing mounting debt, A decided to visit Nong Ploy in Si Sa Ket province.

She refused to meet him, claiming she needed to wait for her relatives to return the money. Eventually, she told him that if he wanted to get the money back, he would have to have sex with her.

Shocked at how different she looked in person compared to her photos, A reluctantly agreed, hoping to recover his money.

The next day, when he met Nong Ploy’s parents, there was no discussion of repayment.

Realising he had been deceived, he contemplated suicide before contacting the “Sai Mai Must Survive” page for help.

A filed a complaint with Wang Noi police, who are investigating.

I’ll leave the knife as a keepsake

Sarutthaya: Admits stabbing

A woman in Ang Thong driven by jealousy stabbed her ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend, leaving her critically injured with a knife lodged deep in her back.

The suspect admitted the assault, saying she acted out of jealousy.

The man involved said he had already broken up with the suspect before starting a new relationship.

Muang police were called to a house on Oct 13 after the victim was stabbed and seriously wounded.

They found a trail of blood at the single-storey house, leading into a back room. A 30cm bloodstained knife was found on the floor.

Standing nearby, waiting to surrender, was the assailant, identified as Sarutthaya, or “Shop” (no surname given), 24.

The injured woman, Kanokwan, or Nok (no surname given), 32, had already been taken to Ang Thong Hospital with a stab wound to the back so deep that the knife was still embedded. Her condition was reported as serious.

Sarutthaya admitted the attack, saying she acted out of jealousy after learning her boyfriend, Nattaphat or “Bank” (no surname given), 26, with whom she had not clearly broken up, had started seeing the victim.

On the day of the incident, she found out that he was at a friend’s house and went there.

When she saw him with his new girlfriend, an argument broke out, and she stabbed the woman once in the back.

Bang-on (no surname given), 62, the homeowner, told police that Nattaphat, a friend of her son’s, had brought his new girlfriend to the house for the first time.

His ex-girlfriend showed up and the stabbing occurred.

A friend of the victim, who was on a video call with her at the time, confirmed witnessing the argument and the attack during the call.

Nattaphat told police he had ended his relationship with the suspect some time ago before recently starting to see the injured woman.

He said his ex-girlfriend showed up unexpectedly, argued with them, and then stabbed his new girlfriend. He pulled the knife out and rushed her to hospital.

Police charged Sarutthaya with the attack.

Tom imprisons ex-lover

Supatsara: Tom kept her prisoner

A tomboy in Pattaya tricked her ex-girlfriend to a hotel where she held her prisoner for three days, police were told.

Supatsara (no surname given), 24, complained to Pattaya City police about the ordeal at a South Pattaya hotel, which started on Oct 11.

She said her ex-girlfriend, unnamed in news reports, beat her repeatedly and seized her belongings — including her wallet, cash, mobile phone, ID card, and other documents.

The suspect locked her in the hotel room and kept her confined for three days, a spell which ended only by accident, when she was rescued by a delivery rider.

Supatsara said the suspect took her out of the room briefly on Oct 14.

While walking along the road near the intersection between Pattaya Sai 3 and South Pattaya Road, Supatsara saw an opportunity and ran toward a passing motorcycle, begging rider Navin Meesang, 21, for help.

Mr Navin said he had just dropped off a passenger and was heading home when he noticed a woman arguing with a tomboy by the roadside.

The distressed woman suddenly ran into his path, pleading for help and clearly terrified.

He took her to the police to report the incident. Authorities said they would summon the ex-girlfriend for questioning.

Mum steps in; sawing ties; inmate jibe; rainy day thief

2025-10-05T07:28:00.001+07:00

I’ll take charge, dear

A girl fights with her rival with the support of her mother.

A Phatthalung mother is accused of encouraging her teenage daughter to beat an older rival after a row over a social media livestream.

The attack unfolded outside a secondary school in Pak Phayun district when the mother took her daughter and several younger classmates to assault a Grade 9 student.

The incident occurred last week when “Nong Namun”, the Grade 9 student, was leaving school with six friends.

“B” (no other details given), mother of “Dek Biu”, a Grade 7 student, brought her daughter and six to seven friends to confront the seniors.

B instructed her daughter to pull Namun’s hair, slap her, slam the victim’s head on the pavement, and even stomp on her face.

Witnesses say B stood guard while her daughter assaulted her rival. B also threatened the victim’s friends against intervening.

Namun’s friends were too intimidated to intervene, but filmed the incident for evidence. The attack only stopped when a parent stepped in to separate the students.

Following the assault, Namun experienced nausea and vomiting, likely from head trauma, and was taken to the hospital.

The feud began over arguments and insults exchanged during a livestream. A clip showing B and her daughter announcing their intent to attack the senior student had circulated on social media.

The parents of the victim have filed a police report at Pak Phayun station.

The school has summoned both families for questioning, but B and her daughter Biu did not appear, sending only the girl’s grandmother in their place.

Officials said they could not contact the pair, and Biu has not returned to school.

Police are reviewing video evidence and collecting witness statements to proceed with legal action.

Handy with a saw

A girl was injured after her father attacked her with a saw, below left.

A Samut Prakan father attacked his daughter with a hand saw, leaving her with injuries to her wrist and her side.

A 15-year-old girl was seriously injured after her father attacked her with the saw at their home in Bang Phli district, though the father says his daughter hit him first.

The girl suffered deep lacerations to her right hand, and cuts along her flank. She was taken to hospital.

Her father, Theerasak (no surname given), was nabbed by police and taken in for questioning.

Witnesses described the incident as stemming from a minor argument.

The father became angry after repeatedly calling his daughter to help with chores while she continued to play on her phone.

He initially tried to attack her with a knife, witnesses said.

The daughter grabbed a saw to defend herself, but it fell to the ground. The father then picked it up and struck her across the hand and back.

Locals noted said the pair often quarrelled but had never previously used weapons, and police had occasionally intervened.

Theerasak said he had been collecting scrap metal when he called his daughter to pass him a bag. She refused repeatedly, and abused him.

He said she and a young male friend spoke to him disrespectfully, and during the argument, he said the daughter first attempted to strike him with the saw.

When it fell, he picked it up and swung it back at her.

He said he worked nearby, tending to a small shed behind their home, while the main house belonged to his employer.

The injured girl, identified only as A, 15, told reporters she had previously lived in a children’s home in Pattani province for eight years before running away.

At the time of the attack, she had been playing with a neighbour’s child when her father became angry and struck her with the saw.

She said this was the third time her father had attacked her in this manner.

Neighbours recalled that the father had previously been homeless.

They felt sorry for the girl, called authorities and had her placed at the children’s shelter in Pattani.

Police are investigating.

Kratom shop delusions

The crime scene outside the kratom shop.

A clash broke out in Bangkok when a recently released inmate attacked a man outside a kratom shop with a knife, only to be shot dead in return fire.

Lat Phrao police were called to the scene opposite Klong Chan Flat 10, where they found the body of Kulphong (no surname given), 26, lying on the street.

He had been shot twice — once in the neck and once through the leg — and a knife was found nearby.

The shooter, identified as Kraiwii (no surname given), 33, was found badly injured with stab wounds to his face and torso.

He was taken to hospital by rescue workers.

The shop owner, Nik (no surname given), 26, told reporters he had been sitting outside the shop talking with his older brother (the shooter) when the victim approached.

“We weren’t drinking or taking anything,” he said.

“We saw him walking back and forth, filming videos, muttering to himself. We didn’t pay attention.

“Then suddenly he rushed at my brother and stabbed him. My brother fell, pulled out his gun, fired once, and told him to leave. But he didn’t — he climbed on top and stabbed my brother’s face.

“That’s when my brother fired a second shot. He staggered off and collapsed in front of the shop.”

Nik said he was terrified and ran to call rescuers. His brother refused to flee, saying he would wait for the police — but his wounds were so serious that rescuers had to rush him to hospital.

He added he suspected the victim had planned the attack, as he was seen stashing items under the flats earlier, possibly as preparation for escape.

While there had been no serious quarrels before, Nik recalled that one or two weeks earlier his brother had greeted the man, asked if he had just been released from prison, and even wished him well after he said he was looking for work.

“That was the last time they met until the attack,” he said.

Nearby, the victim’s aunt, Nong, 66, said she had seen her nephew sitting outside her home only 10 metres from the scene that night, playing on his phone.

Moments later, she was told he had been shot. “I’m heartbroken,” she said. “It’s shocking that someone would carry a gun in a community like this.”

She confirmed her nephew had only been released from prison at the start of the month, after serving time for firearms and drug-related offences.

But since his release, she said, he had tried to turn his life around, working at a department store.

“He was clear-minded, not unstable,” she said.

Police are waiting for the victim to recover before they can question him. No word as to charges was to hand.

Just stepping out to steal

A man with a red umbrella calmly steals a pickup.

A Rayong man was bewildered after a stranger casually walked up to his pickup with an umbrella and drove off while he was inside a shop for just two minutes.

Police in Nikhom Phatthana district were looking for the bronze Nissan NV, which was stolen from in front of a store in Map Kha subdistrict.

Surveillance footage shows the vehicle parked with the engine running while the owner briefly went inside the shop.

A man wearing a long-sleeve shirt and a mask, carrying a red umbrella, approached the truck.

He glanced inside to make sure it was empty, tossed his umbrella into the truck bed, and drove off toward Pluak Daeng district.

The owner, Fight (no surname given), said he normally rides a motorcycle to the store, but due to rain that morning, had borrowed his father’s truck.

He was on his way to work when he dropped in to the store.

“I don’t understand how someone could steal it so easily,” he said.

Police suspect the thief had been nearby, emerging from a side alley close to the store.

Fight expressed confidence authorities would recover the vehicle thanks to the abundance of CCTV cameras in the area.

He added, with a mix of frustration and humour, that if the thief happens to see the news and returns the truck along with its contents, he wouldn’t press charges — the vehicle contained important documents.

Hero cop; mad fan; debtor peril; undies stash

2025-09-28T07:10:00.001+07:00

Robber shot dead after fight

The owner of the motorcycle hits the thief across the back with an aluminium bar.

A young policeman in Ranong shot a burglary suspect dead after the man stabbed him in the abdomen.

Pol Lance Corporal Pornpipat Thepmala, responding alone on a patrol motorcycle, intercepted the suspect after a high-speed chase in Muang district.

The suspect, identified as Boonthin Homchan, charged at the policeman with a knife, stabbing him in the abdomen beneath his bulletproof vest. Pol L/Cpl Pornpipat, despite his injuries, fired multiple shots, killing the suspect at the scene.

The drama began when the thief snatched a motorbike from a home in Bang Rin sub-district, prompting police to set up roadblocks around town.

The suspect fled nearly 30km toward La-oon district while being pursued by police, but Pol L/Cpl Pornpipat tackled him alone after the suspect crashed off the road.

Evidence recovered included the stolen motorcycle, a steel knife, methamphetamine, cash, and spent cartridges.

Pol L/Cpl Pornpipat

Pol L/Cpl Pornpipat was taken to hospital for emergency surgery.

At Ranong Hospital, Governor Supot Phutikiatkajorn and Provincial Police Commander Pol Maj Gen Thanawat Wattanakun visited Pol L/Cpl Pornpipat with gifts and words of encouragement. He is making a good recovery.

National Police Chief Pol Gen Kittirat Phunphen said Pol L/Cpl Pornpipat would be transferred to a station in Muang district as a reward for his heroism, so he can work closer to his parents.

Speaking from his hospital bed, Pol L/Cpl Pornpipat recalled the harrowing moment:

“When I saw my intestines spilling out, I asked a passing songthaew driver to take me to hospital. He was panicking, so I told him, ‘Just drive my car instead.’

“I stopped at the local health centre first to call my commander and report that I’d been stabbed.”

Reporters also spoke to the couple whose home was targeted in the burglary.

Manat Paengaon, 57, and his wife Kannikar, 53, said they were at home with relatives when the suspect pulled a knife and climbed onto their parked motorbike.

Mr Manat grabbed a two-metre aluminum pole and struck the man once on the back as he rode away.

Police, alerted via the 191 hotline, checked CCTV cameras nearby, which captured the robbery. Within half an hour, the suspect was confronted by Pol L/Cpl Pornpipat.

Have bag, will marry

Meihua, or 'Barry', standing outside Ta's house.

An Udon Thani man is warning an obsessive fan who stalked him on social media not to come back to his home, or he will again have to call the police.

The man, identified as Ta in news reports, said the woman has turned up with a suitcase outside his place three times, hoping he would let her into his life.

The two do not know each other, and it is not known how the woman, identified in reports as Meihua, also known as “Barry,” aged 60, first noticed him.

However, she has told neighbours that he is so handsome that she just has to turn up to his house for a look. She also entertained ideas of marriage.

The first incident outside the house in Muang district passed without incident, with Meihua leaving after two hours when no one answered the door.

On the second occasion, however, she turned up with her bags again, but this time proposed marriage and claimed she wanted children with Ta. She also boasted of her family background and wealth.

Ta said the woman follows his social media accounts, liking his posts and sending incomprehensible messages.

Last year she even obtained his phone number from his brother’s restaurant page and called, pretending to be interested in his Siberian husky. He blocked the dozens of accounts she used, but every few months she would reappear with new profiles.

The latest incident took place last week, her third visit to his house.

Ta said she again arrived with her luggage, shouted, tried to hug him, and caused a commotion.

Neighbours helped push her away after two hours. She claimed she would never return, as her family had arranged for her to marry someone else. However, CCTV later showed her loitering nearby.

Ta said a youngster living nearby alerted him to her return.

He found her at an elderly neighbour’s house where she was having a meal. When challenged, she insisted she was there to visit the neighbour, not him.

“When I asked her to leave, the visitor became aggressive, lunging at me and grabbing my shirt, until I pushed her away. My shirt was torn in the scuffle,” Ta said.

He called the police, who persuaded the woman to leave and gave her a lift to the local bus stop. Ta urged the woman not to return, or he would have to call the law again to have her carted away.

“It’s not about being handsome. She just fixates on whatever I post — whether I’m taking care of my mother or writing something about family. She twists it into thinking I’m talking to her. I’ve never met her privately, never given her hope.”

Neighbours confirmed the woman had appeared several times, each time with luggage, insisting she was his girlfriend and that they would be married.

A 17-year-old neighbour, Pim, said: “The first time, she just stood there until she left. The second time, she said she wanted to be his girlfriend.

“This time, she grabbed ‘P Ta. He’s blocked her everywhere, but she keeps making new accounts. She says she’s from Bangkok, but we don’t know much else.”

I need that bike, after all

Two teens who came off their motorcycles following the clash.

Police in Chon Buri are looking for an armed man who reneged on an agreement to hand over his motorcycle as collateral for a debt he owed.

A meeting to settle a debt in Bang Lamung district erupted into gunfire and a police chase that left officers injured, after the debtor attempted to snatch back the motorcycle he had just surrendered as collateral.

The incident took place near Soi Wat Boonsampan 9, when creditors met the suspect, identified only as “Bang Nueng,” to resolve a loan of 15,000 baht in cash and two mobile phones, worth about 20,000 baht.

Bang Nueng had agreed to hand over his motorcycle, with photos and a video clip taken to record the deal.

But shortly afterward, Bang Nueng parked his white Chevrolet sedan, pulled out a gun, and fired twice, hitting the creditors’ vehicle.

He ordered two younger associates to ride off on the motorcycle, then sped away in his car.

The creditors gave chase and alerted a nearby police patrol.

When officers on a motorcycle tried to intercept, Bang Nueng rammed their bike, sending it crashing and injuring two patrolmen. Rescue workers treated the officers before sending them to hospital.

About 1km away, the two teens linked to Bang Nueng were also found injured after their motorcycle crashed.

They told police they had been sent to deliver the bike, but fled when tensions escalated and were later assaulted during the chase.

Bang Lamung police have launched a manhunt for Bang Nueng, warning units that the suspect is armed and considered dangerous.

Pills kept in dark places

Pitak points to where he hid the pills.

A Bangkok couple who deal in drugs to top up their income as riders chose some unusual places to secret their wares.

The Metropolitan Police Division’s Crime Suppression Bureau and local police raided a dormitory in the Lad Prao area with officers targeting a group of three suspects.

The operation targeted Pitak (aka “Tak”), 29, from Bangkok; Patcharida (aka “Tan”), 32, from Saraburi; and Akkarawin (aka “Game”), 28, from Bangkok.

Police had been monitoring the group after noticing a rider who behaved oddly.

Instead of delivering food to customers, he would loiter near rubbish bins, discreetly retrieve items from his pants, and act furtively.

On Sept 22, officers observed Akkarawin in a rider’s uniform loitering near a rubbish bin, once again without delivering food.

They asked to search him but found nothing initially, until an officer noticed he had wedged a blue plastic bag into the heel of one shoe.

It contained ecstasy tablets. After that find, Akkarawin confessed and took officers back to his dorm.

Police found Pitak and his girlfriend Patcharida there, where a search revealed 20 grammes of crystal meth hidden in Pitak’s pants, along with additional drugs and packaging materials.

The couple were identified as high-level distributors in the area.

During the raid, several customers transferred money for drugs, unaware the dealers had been busted.

Pitak admitted: “I usually hide ice in my underwear. I don’t know if the customers notice.”

Police charged Pitak and Patcharida with possession of methamphetamine and ketamine with intent to sell, while Akkarawin was charged with possession and distribution of ecstasy for commercial purposes.

Officers are tracking down other members of the drug network.

Ex-hubby cops it; bong row; kindly granny; domestic bliss

2025-09-21T06:57:00.001+07:00

One visit too many

Tiangsak points out where he killed his wife's ex-husband, Sarawut.

A love triangle in Udon Thani ended in tragedy when a man killed his wife’s ex-husband in a rubber plantation.

Sarawut “Bank” Taiwarin, 32, turned up at the plantation in Nam Som district armed with a knife while his ex-wife, Ranang, and her new husband Tiangsak “Joy” Kulsopha, 42, were working, the couple later told police.

Mr Tiangsak grabbed a hoe handle to defend himself and shouted for him to stop. Sarawut replied, “I’m not here to kill you — if I wanted to, I’d have done it long ago”.

Trying to avoid trouble, Mr Tiangsak said he and his wife walked away toward the village headman’s plantation.

But Sarawut followed on his motorbike, wielding a eucalyptus stick he had just cut from a nearby plot, and struck him four or five times. Mr Tiangsak told his wife to run into the village to seek help.

Cornered, he said he fought back with a bamboo tool handle, which snapped during the struggle. The men grappled until Sarawut fell, hitting his head hard on a rock.

Mr Tiangsak then tied the victim’s arms and legs with his shirt and later with wire used for latex cups, fearing the man would revive and attack again. Sarawut begged to be released but soon went limp.

After realising he was unresponsive, Mr Tiangsak took the victim’s motorbike to the village headman’s house to report the incident and later turned himself in. He insisted he never intended to kill his wife’s ex-husband.

Pol Lt Col Wichit Lachai, an investigator with Nam Som police, said officers called to the scene found Sarawut’s body lying on his back.

His hands were tied behind his back with a T-shirt that was also looped around his neck. His ankles were bound with wire and fabric. Police discovered severe bruising to his left temple, consistent with a blow from a hard object.

Officers seized a 1.5-metre-long hoe handle, a broken bamboo shaft from a digging tool and a 1.8-metre eucalyptus stick believed to have been used in the fight.

During questioning, Mr Tiangsak admitted responsibility.

The victim’s mother, Buariang Pimdee, 48, said her son and his ex-wife had lived together for two years but often argued and hit each other. After she left to live with Mr Tiangsak, tensions between the three never ceased.

“I never thought he would be killed like this,” she said, urging police to pursue the case to the full extent of the law.

Ranang, the widow caught in the middle, told reporters she and her new husband had been sitting in their plantation hut when her ex-husband arrived with a machete.

She said Mr Tiangsak tried to avoid the confrontation, but Sarawut chased them down and attacked.

She added that since their separation nearly a year ago, Sarawut often forced her into sex against her will, causing arguments with her new husband.

“I’ll wait for Tiangsak to finish his sentence. He’s always been good to me.”

An autopsy later determined Sarawut died from suffocation, though another report said it was from a blow to the head. Police charged Mr Tiangsak with murder.

Rehab fails to make impact

'Joe', who ran amok at home

An Udon Thani man who fled compulsory detox treatment at a local hospital returned home and demanded to know from his family: “Where’s my cannabis bong?”

Police were called to the house in Sam Phrao subdistrict after the 32-year-old man, unhappy to find his smoking apparatus had gone missing in his absence, and his withdrawal obviously not complete, went on the rampage.

Pol Sub-Lt Buncha Sarapanya, a deputy inspector at Muang station, received a complaint from Suksri (no surname given) 68, the suspect’s aunt.

She said her nephew, “Joe,” had escaped from rehab at Udon Thani Hospital, where he was being treated for methamphetamine and cannabis abuse, and had gone berserk at home, scaring his family.

At the scene, a single-storey concrete house, officers knocked on the door until Joe emerged looking bewildered, asking what the problem was.

When questioned about reports he had been throwing objects into the neighbours’ yard, he denied it, saying he had come back from hospital and was “just resting at home.”

Aunt Suksri told police that Joe had once been addicted to meth but had switched to cannabis and rice whisky.

When drunk or high, he often became violent. Relatives had tried to commit him for treatment before, but he refused to take his medication, leading to frequent psychotic episodes.

The previous day, Joe confronted his mother, Rasmee, 56, demanding to know: “Where’s my bong?” before threatening to kill her.

Terrified, she fled to stay with relatives. The following day he asked his aunt for a knife and hurled stones at her house.

“I’ve raised this nephew since he was a boy,” Aunt Suksri said. “I’ve always put up with it, but this time I really can’t take any more.”

Police placed Joe in custody and took him by pickup truck back to hospital for psychiatric treatment and rehabilitation.

The fake cops are here

Police gather outside the grandma's house.

An 83-year-old grandmother in Bangkok refused appeals from police at her front gate to stop transferring funds to a call-centre gang.

She believed she was talking to “real police” on the phone and the uniformed men at her gate were imposters.

The exchange was filmed by police as they gathered outside the house, with one officer complaining they had made multiple trips to her house but she still refused to listen.

She finally realised she was the victim of a scam after a family member intervened at the behest of police, but only the grandmother had transferred almost 5 million baht over five separate transactions.

The case first came to light when the Anti-Online Crime Operations Center (AOC 1441), under the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, noticed suspicious withdrawals and alerted Phra Khanong police.

Officers visited her home to warn the old woman not to transfer any more money.

But despite their uniforms and ID, the woman dismissed them as impostors and kept taking calls from the fake “police” on her mobile phone.

Between Sept 3 and 10, she deposited or transferred money five times, a total of 4.95 million baht. Police later managed to freeze about 2.5 million before it disappeared into mule accounts.

When investigators finally persuaded her to cooperate, the woman, unnamed in news reports, explained she had been told by scammers that her identity was linked to money laundering and that only by transferring funds for “verification” could she clear her name.

The fraudsters impersonated a senior police colonel in Nakhon Sawan and even convinced her to add them on LINE for “official” instructions.

Pol Col Chaiwat Pradabthai, Phra Khanong police chief, admitted it took time to convince the grandmother she had been tricked.

“Even at the station, she still doubted us, until we sat down and explained carefully.”

Pol Col Phumiyot Lekkla, deputy commander of Metropolitan Police Division 5, said the AOC system was crucial for flagging the withdrawals quickly.

“It helps victims realise sooner that they’re being deceived, and allows us to freeze some funds before it’s too late.”

Inquiries are continuing into the grandmother’s missing money.

Now, where’s the dishrack

Sanan, who let himself into a stranger's house.

A shirtless Udon Thani man wandered into a stranger’s home and did the dishes, which was nice of him, before wandering into the owner’s bedroom when he was stopped by neighbours who noticed something was amiss.

Muang police on Sept 15 arrived to find the 38-year-old man subdued by locals after he resisted their attempts to throw him out of the house.

They say he let himself into the house while the owner, a security guard, was away at work.

The man, wearing only shorts, and carrying a white backpack, slipped into a rented house in Nong Bua sub-district.

Instead of stealing anything, he started doing the housework.

He fetched water, watered the plants and even sat down to wash the dishes.

Neighbours quickly noticed something wasn’t right. They shouted, asking what on earth he was doing inside.

But the man mumbled incoherently, refused to leave and then walked into the bedroom where the homeowner’s wife and daughter were. Alarmed, neighbours grabbed a wooden stick, marched inside and managed to drag him back out.

By the time the homeowner arrived, the intruder had been pinned down, with neighbours filming everything for evidence.

The house belongs to 54-year-old Siwakorn (no surname given), who has rented the place with his wife and daughter for six years. He works nights as a security guard, while his wife is a homemaker.

He said he had just finished a night shift when he got a call from neighbours saying a strange man had entered his home. He came back in time to see the man already restrained. The visitor also damaged his pickup truck, smashing a taillight and denting the bodywork.

Police identified the intruder as Sanan, 38 (no surname given). At the station, his story made little sense: he claimed he had run away from his home in Ban Dung district and entered the house to look for his mother and fetch her water.

He insisted he meant no harm — he just “missed his mum”. Officers have charged him with breaking and entering and property damage.

Theft prank; evil eye; durian feast; errant monk

2025-09-14T06:43:00.002+07:00

Jail sounds a better option

Staff chased Phakin after he walked out with a gold ring.

An Udon Thani man, frustrated with life, stole gold rings from two stores in succession, claiming he wanted to go to jail to “take a rest”.

Muang police on Thursday were notified of a man pretending to be a customer at a gold shop at a local shopping centre.

He tried on gold rings and walked out with them, but not before asking: “If I walk out without paying, will I be arrested?”

The suspect was identified as Phakin, or Tao (no surname given), 30, who admitted the thefts.

Duk (no surname given), an employee at the first gold shop, said the man asked to see a gold ring and asked, “If I walk out wearing it, will I be arrested? I want to go to jail”.

He boldly put on the ring and walked out.

Phakin, or Tao

News reports say he later returned the ring and went about his business, before repeating the prank at a shop nearby.

Nannaphat (no surname given), branch manager of the second shop, said the suspect asked to try on a two salueng gold ring (worth about 28,000 baht) and again asked if he would be arrested.

When she confirmed he would, he still walked out, prompting staff to chase him and retrieve the ring.

Tao, the suspect, said he staged the stunts because he wanted to go to jail.

His actions were motivated by personal problems: he felt resentful toward his mother for refusing to give him six rai of land despite being her only son.

He has a wife and young child and said he wanted to return to jail because he had previously served time for theft on behalf of a friend.

He also admitted to having methamphetamine debts and being a habitual user, taking 1–2 pills per day.

He apologised to his mother and wife for the prank and promised that if jailed, he would reform and behave himself upon release.

His wife, Arisa, 27, visited him at the station with their 3-year-old daughter.

She said her husband had been stressed and paranoid, even talking about robbery and suicide.

She was shocked to learn he had been using methamphetamine, previously thinking he was only drinking.

Tao said he was stressed by life problems and had experienced hallucinations, thinking someone wanted to kill him.

Urine tests returned positive for drugs. Authorities decided the suspect did not intend real theft or robbery, and no charges for theft were pressed. The victims did not press charges, either. He was, however, charged with taking drugs.

‘Why are you staring at me?’

Phunsawat, who died in front of a convenience store

Police have arrested a 25-year-old man who gunned down his uncle in Thon Buri after family tensions boiled over.

The suspect was nabbed at home where he fled soon after the shooting, though he took a detour to toss the murder weapon into the Chao Phraya River.

The victim, motorcycle taxi rider Phunsawat (no surname given), 45, was shot seven times and died in front of a convenience store in Chom Thong district on Sept 11.

Chatchaorn.

The gunman was identified as his nephew, Chatchaporn, or Toon (no surname given), son of the victim’s sister.

Relatives from both sides had long been embroiled in inheritance disputes, creating years of family tensions.

Metropolitan Police Division 8 and Bukkhalo police nabbed Chatchaporn at his home in the Wat Bang Sakae Nai community, off soi Thoet Thai 33.

Chatchaporn admitted shooting his uncle with a 9mm pistol, which he claimed to have thrown into the river near Rama V Bridge.

Phunsawat was shot in the left shoulder, right cheek and chest. Seven 9mm cartridge casings were recovered.

A witness, Rattanachai Phutsiri, who also worked at the motorcycle taxi stand, said he was riding close behind the victim when they encountered the suspect, Chatchaporn, a hospital orderly.

Chatchaporn was evidently giving his uncle the evil eye. The victim asked him, “Why are you staring at me?”

Chatchaporn rode off, and returned armed with a pistol.

The two began trading punches. “Toon (Chatchaporn) was losing the fight since his uncle was bigger, so I tried to break them up,” Mr Rattanachai said. “Then Toon pulled a gun from his waistband and fired repeatedly, dropping his uncle to the ground.

“He turned the weapon on me, but the gun misfired. Then he shot his uncle three more times before fleeing,” he added.

Police said the two families had long been estranged over inheritance disputes, refusing to even look at one another. The most recent quarrel erupted after Chatchaporn’s dog ran in front of the victim’s wife’s motorcycle.

Chatchaporn was charged with murder.

Stinking out the place

Jirawat, nabbed with his stolen durian

A Nonthaburi man chose a large 7kg durian to steal from a local vendor, but had made his way through barely half of it when police — hot on the scent of the trail — nabbed him.

Police in Pak Kret caught Jirawat, or Poo (no surname given), 48, in his rented room after he stole the Musang King durian from a local vendor.

He had eaten half of it when police knocked on his door.

Durian shop owner, Narin (no surname given), 60, noticed his prized durian — worth about 1,100 baht — missing on Sept 7 and reviewed CCTV footage.

The camera showed the suspect riding a bicycle past the shop, parking and casually walking across the street to grab the durian before pedalling off.

“When it happened, he stopped and pretended to wait, then grabbed the durian while people were nearby,” said Narin.

“I didn’t realise at first because I was busy with customers. Ten minutes later, it was gone. If he had just asked, I would have gladly given him some — no need to steal.”

Jirawat admitted he hadn’t planned the theft in advance.

“I rode past, saw the durian and suddenly really wanted some. I didn’t dare ask the owner, so I just took it. I peeled it and ate half, but I hadn’t finished when the police came,” he said, apologising to the shop owner.

Police recovered the remaining half of the durian and the bicycle used in the theft. They charged Jirawat with “nighttime theft using a vehicle to facilitate crime”.

Monk strays from brief

Phra Kiattisak, below left, and the car he drove when he hit the old woman.

A monk in Buri Ram who was unlicensed to drive struck and killed a pensioner returning from collecting her senior citizen allowance of 700 baht.

Phra Kiattisak Kamhom, 24, was driving a temple car when he hit Khiew Phutjip, 72, causing her immediate death.

The accident, which took place on Sept 10 on Nalao–Huafai Road, in Khaen Dong district, raised questions among the victim’s relatives.

The car driven by Phra Kiattisak had no annual tax, no compulsory motor insurance (Buri Ram ), and the monk himself did not have a driver’s licence.

Sao Pawatha, Khiew’s younger brother, said monks are not supposed to drive, but this one bent the rules.

If travel is necessary, a disciple or a licensed local is supposed to drive instead. Another relative, Boonmak Tubtaisong, was also shocked by the news, as she usually accompanied Khiew to collect her allowance.

The monk’s mother, Boonruang Boonying, visited the victim’s family and accepted full responsibility, saying she would compensate them as much as possible given her family’s limited means.

She said the car involved belonged to the temple and was purchased for disciples to travel to school. Her son drove the car himself because there were no public transport options in the area.

Ms Boonruang viewed the incident as a matter of “karma” and the consequences of past deeds, but she also expressed sympathy for her son, who had sought refuge from drug problems.

He had chosen to ordain as a monk to study the Buddhist path, only to be caught in the road tragedy.

Too caring; he asked for it; crazy buffalo; polite thief

2025-09-07T06:35:00.006+07:00

Take your meds, dear

Jatupol being consoled by police

A Khon Kaen man killed his mother after she tried to make him take antidepressant medication, police said.

The suspect, identified as Jatupol, or “Golf” (no surname given) had been unemployed for nearly two years after returning from work outside the province.

He lived with his mother, 54-year-old Jarasrat, in a two-storey wooden house in Ban Phai district.

Cries for help were heard from the house on Thursday morning, as captured by CCTV outside the house. When the noise suddenly stopped, locals rushed over but found the door locked.

Forcing their way in, they saw Jatupol sitting cross-legged beside his mother’s body, apparently meditating.

Her face was swollen and bruised, the result of a fight with her son as she tried to fend off his attack.

Police said he beat and kicked her, and repeatedly slammed her head against a wooden post.

Police took him into custody. Under questioning, Jatupol admitted he had lashed out at his mother after she tried to make him take pills for depression.

He insisted he was healthy and “normal”, though he confessed to being under stress and wanting to be left alone.

The village headman said Jarasrat had long been worried about her son’s behaviour.

Although he had no criminal record and no sign of drug use, she noticed him becoming withdrawn and listless.

Two days before the killing, he had gone to sleep at a local temple. Concerned, his father brought him home, and his mother stayed with him in the house to keep watch.

Out of desperation, she obtained sedatives from relatives and tried to give them to him. That confrontation, police believe, escalated into a quarrel that ended in her death.

Officials described Jatupol as quiet and polite, someone who liked music and had never caused trouble.

His clean background made the killing all the more shocking to those who knew the family.

His grandfather, Thikun, 80, said Jatupol had long exhibited signs of mental health struggles.

For the past two to three years, he had displayed depressive symptoms and unusual behaviour.

After returning from working outside the province, he struggled with stress, debt and high personal ambitions — including dreams of building a shopping mall in his hometown.

In the nights leading up to the tragedy, Jatupol would talk to himself and even carry a small knife around the house, out of fear or paranoia.

He had also written letters wishing others well, which the grandfather described as “strange” but not suicidal.

On the morning of the incident, Jarasrat went to get the meds for her son. He refused the pills, insisting he was healthy, leading to their row.

Grandad Thikun said he could hear repeated thuds, suggesting she was being struck, and called on neighbours to help, but it was too late to save her.

While he stayed at his grandfather’s house, he appeared increasingly stressed and withdrawn, refusing offers to seek medical treatment.

Police say they are still investigating before pressing formal charges.

Rising to the challenge

Medics at the scene of the teen stabbing

A Nonthaburi teen was stabbed after daring two teens wielding a knife to attack him.

The boy, unnamed in reports, was in a critical condition after being stabbed in the chest, while a friend sustained a knife wound to his arm, following the clash between the pair and another group of youths at a red light in Pak Kret district.

District police received a report of the stabbing in Ban Mai subdistrict. They found a 17-year-old male, identified only as A, with a serious stab wound to the chest.

He was taken to Chulabhorn Hospital. His friend, B, 16, suffered a stab wound to his right arm and was also hospitalised.

B told police that he was riding pillion on a motorcycle with A on a late-night food run when they stopped at a red light.

Another motorcycle carrying two teens pulled up in front and blocked the way.

A asked them to move aside, but instead they reversed to obstruct his path, sparking an argument.

The two rivals then pulled out knives and brandished them.

A shouted back: “If you’re carrying knives, do you dare stab us?”

One of the assailants took up the challenge, lunged forward and stabbed both A and B before fleeing.

B said he had never seen the attackers before but could identify them and their motorcycle, as neither wore helmets.

Police have reviewed CCTV footage along the escape route and confirmed the suspects’ identities.

They have contacted their parents to arrange for the teens to surrender.

Beast turns on owner

The buffalo which lost its cool

A Buri Ram family wasted no time in putting a buffalo on the market after it gored its owner to death.

The five-year-old buffalo, normally peaceful, turned on its owner as he led it down to a pond.

Shocked relatives, fearing further attacks, promptly announced the male buffalo would be sold for 50,000 baht.

The attack took place near a public reservoir in Nang Rong district.

Police, rescue workers and a doctor found Vasant Komkamin, 59, lying dead by the water’s edge, his stomach ripped open and head gashed.

The buffalo was herded back into its pen to prevent more bloodshed.

Villagers said the victim had lovingly raised the animal since it was young.

Vasant had taken the buffalo to graze and bathe at the pond every day, and it had never shown any signs of aggression before.

No one witnessed the actual attack.

Vasant’s sister, Sombun, said the family kept eight buffalo in total. Her brother had two of them, including the one that attacked him.

“He raised it since it was small. We don’t know why it suddenly turned and killed him. It has never hurt anyone before.”

Shaken by the incident, the family immediately decided to sell the buffalo.

One buyer aware of the family’s rush to sell the animal offered just over 30,000 baht, but the family is holding out for 50,000.

“We’ve raised it for years, it’s worth at least that much. But we can’t keep it — what if it attacks someone else?”

Another sister, Udomporn, added: “We all raise buffalo, it’s what we do.

“My brother always took them to drink and swim here. None of us ever thought one would kill him.”

Police confirmed no foul play was suspected — the buffalo was indeed the killer. The body was released to the family for religious rites.

Thief’s wai to the spirits

The thief takes an incense burner

A Chachoengsao temple is pleading for the return of an antique brass incense burner, which a CCTV camera caught a man stealing.

The thief raised his hands to offer a wai to the spirits before making off with a burner from Wat Suwan Temee in Bang Nam Priao district.

Temple staff are now pleading for its return, citing its sentimental and spiritual value to the community.

Assistant monk Phra Apiwat, 46, showed reporters the Luang Pu shrine behind the bell tower where the theft occurred.

The shrine houses statues of former abbots and their brass urns, where residents worship.

The antique brass burner, a showcase of the shrine, was stolen on Aug 27. It is over 80 years old.

Phra Apiwat said the shrine previously held a donation box for water and electricity fees, but it had been broken into multiple times, and the money inside stolen.

The abbot moved the donation box to the main hall for safety.

Soon after, a thief took the incense burner, with the act captured on CCTV.

A stocky man walks into the temple, pauses to glance around the Luang Pu shrine and, perhaps fearing the consequences of his sin, raises his hands in a wai to the Buddha inside.

He pulls up his shirt to cover his face, then places the 3kg burner — valued at 30,000 baht — into a black bag he had brought with him.

Calmly, he walks out as if nothing had happened.

The abbot filed a police report at Chim Phli station, but the thief has yet to be caught.

Locals say the burner was donated by ancestors and carries deep spiritual significance.

Drug betrayal; spiteful BF; student delight; karaoke row

2025-08-31T08:33:00.001+07:00

Body found after a month

Police dig at the site where they found Patipon's body.

Betrayal over a huge drug deal is thought to have led to the brutal slaying of a man whose body was dug up from a remote hillside in Nakhon Si Thammarat.

The victim, Patipon Phitak, better known as “Film Lak Chang”, 35, was found buried in Chang Klang district a month after his family reported him missing.

The body was wrapped in plastic and buried 1.5 metres deep. Police say the earlier arrest of five suspects in Phang Nga province led to the gruesome find.

Following a missing person report filed by the victim’s family on July 17, police secured a search warrant for the homes of the key suspects, a husband-and-wife duo.

Although the couple initially evaded arrest, a joint operation on the night of Aug 27 in Kuraburi district of Phang Nga, near the Thai-Myanmar border, led to the capture of five suspects including the pair. They were taken to Chang Klang station for questioning.

On Aug 28, authorities, with local officials, police dogs, and some suspects, located the burial site. After over an hour of digging, they uncovered a sack containing the victim’s body, cemented over.

The murder appears to have been orchestrated by the couple and their 5–6 accomplices after the victim allegedly failed to pay for 42,000 methamphetamine pills.

They lured him to their house, assaulted him, sealed his body in a sack with cement, and buried him on the hill before fleeing.

During searches of the couple’s house, authorities recovered 19 items belonging to the victim, including a motorcycle, helmet, mobile phones, bullets, a CCTV server, and other personal belongings.

Earlier, on Aug 6, police also discovered and seized a large stash of 326,200 methamphetamine pills buried near the suspect’s home in Chang Klang.

After more than 40 days of investigation, authorities caught the gang and located Film Laksang’s body. Charges were pending.

He’d rather be miserable

The knifeman spotted outside the condo unit.

A case of obsessive love turned deadly in Samut Prakan after a young man stabbed his ex-girlfriend and her friend before leaping from a building to his death.

Both women remain in critical condition.

The tragedy unfolded on Aug 25 in Bang Sao Thong district when CCTV footage captured the 24-year-old man entering his ex-girlfriend’s apartment in an attempt to reconcile.

When the 18-year-old woman rejected him, he grabbed a knife and attacked her along with her 19-year-old friend, forcing both to flee for their lives.

He then jumped from the seventh floor, landing on a parked car before later dying at hospital.

Security cameras show the man walking into the room and closing the door. Moments later, the ex-girlfriend, 18, burst out and ran down the stairwell before collapsing in a pool of blood. Her friend, 19, staggered out covered in blood and made it into the elevator to seek help.

The attacker never emerged — he had already jumped.

The 19-year-old victim, stabbed in the chest and stomach, was taken to Ruamchai Pracharak Hospital in critical condition, her life hanging in the balance. The 18-year-old, stabbed in the abdomen, was taken to Bangna 2 Hospital with severe injuries.

Investigators learned the suspect had previously been removed from the apartment by security guards after repeatedly harassing his ex-girlfriend. Just before the attack, he posted a chilling message on social media:

“If I can’t be happy, don’t expect you will be, either.”

Kratom tea pitched at kids

Police raided a shop selling cannabis buds and flavoured kratom tea.

Police raided a shop in Chiang Rai after parents complained it was selling cannabis buds and flavoured kratom tea to local students.

Officers from the Chiang Rai provincial administration, public health office, district office, and city police inspected the shop, less than 200m from a hospital and schools.

Although the shop had a licence to sell cannabis products, officials found it was also openly selling brewed kratom tea in various flavours, no doubt designed to appeal to kids.

The sales were carried out without asking buyers for ID or medical prescriptions, meaning even high school students could easily buy the products.

Reports said youths from Chiang Rai and surrounding districts would often gather to drink the tea and use cannabis both day and night.

During the raid, 27-year-old manager Wichitsak admitted the shop sold a wide variety of cannabis flowers and kratom teas, with no age checks.

He told officers the business earned between 10,000–15,000 baht a day. He was charged with selling kratom tea, classified as a prohibited food product under the Ministry of Public Health’s regulations, and operating a food business without proper certification.

The provincial health office said it will suspend the shop’s licence.

‘Jack’ loses his cool

Police inspect the karaoke bar where a customer opened fire on a rival.

Police in Rayong are pursuing man known only as “Jack” after he opened fire on a rival during a late-night brawl in a karaoke bar.

The shooting was reported at a karaoke joint in Klaeng district in the early hours of on Aug 26.

Police arrived to find customers still calmly drinking as though nothing had happened.

One man, aged about 40, had been shot once in the right leg.

He managed to flee and collapse in a wooded area about 100m from the bar.

Police recovered a 9mm shell casing and two unfired rounds.

Nearby, the victim’s black sedan was found with its windows smashed.

Police learned the victim had been drinking with two friends.

Later, “Jack” arrived with his girlfriend and three others. The two men already had a history of bad blood.

Trouble flared when Jack’s girlfriend went over to greet an old acquaintance. Jack, jealous, grew agitated.

Amid the commotion, another customer suddenly jumped on a table and attacked Jack.

Believing his rivals were behind it, Jack drew a handgun and shot the victim in the leg. The wounded man ran into the forest to escape.

Jack then turned his fury on the victim’s car, smashing its windows with a brick.

He also fired several shots into the air to intimidate patrons before fleeing, collecting spent casings as he left.

Police have questioned the bar manager and are now trying to track Jack down.

The karaoke bar has no security cameras, leaving investigators uncertain how Jack made his getaway or what vehicle he used.

Kiln death; cart caution; daring shoot; old man's row

2025-08-24T08:10:00.001+07:00

Brutal murder shocks

Police arrest the suspects.

A Khon Kaen couple were arrested for the premeditated murder of their baby boy, whose body was found burned in a charcoal kiln.

Sugar cane farmers alerted police to the grisly find after noticing smoke coming from a charcoal kiln on their field at Ban Hin Hao. The kiln had not been used in months.

Police and forensic teams found the remains of the infant still attached to its umbilical cord, with blood nearby and the fire still smoldering, reports said.

The case has shocked locals because of the cold-blooded way it was executed.

Police reviewed CCTV footage from Aug 16 and saw a man and woman riding a motorcycle, with the woman carrying a pink plastic basket, heading towards the fields.

They were later identified as Panadda, 34, and Pongsathorn, 30 (no surnames provided). Police sought warrants for the pair on charges of premeditated murder and concealing, burying, or destroying a body to cover up the cause of death.

After her arrest, the baby’s mother Panadda admitted burning her child shortly after birth, claiming she covered the infant’s face with a blanket out of fear she could not afford to raise it.

However, police say her account contradicts forensic evidence.

The kiln where the baby's body was burned.

Panadda said she had given birth alone in her rented Khon Kaen condo on Aug 15, while her partner, an electrician, was away. She claimed the baby boy died the following morning.

Afraid of the consequences and not knowing what to do, she and her partner decided to burn the body in a friend’s charcoal kiln. They bought a bottle of fuel on the way and stayed by the fire for about 20 minutes until they believed the body had been destroyed.

Her partner corroborated some details but said that afterwards, the two parted ways and returned to their family homes before being arrested.

However, police say the mother’s testimony is inconsistent with the autopsy results.

Doctors found severe blunt-force trauma to the back of the infant’s skull, with no signs of suffocation by compression.

They also concluded the baby had been alive after birth, as meconium had already passed and stool was present — evidence that the digestive system had begun functioning.

This suggests the baby lived long enough to feed and cry before being fatally injured.

Police brought both suspects to a crime scene re-enactment, during which Panadda fainted and was taken to hospital.

Pongsathorn completed the re-enactment before being taken back into custody.

Both will be held for further questioning before being taken to court.

Background checks revealed Pongsathorn had prior convictions for theft and drug offences, while Panadda had previously served time for theft, police said.

Sign of the times

The 'well-dressed' couple steal a garbage cart.

A shop owner in Pathum Thani is warning traders in the area to watch out for a well-dressed couple who stole a 300 baht rubbish cart.

Phattharatip Lekdara, 30, owner of the Tianfu Mala restaurant, reported the theft to police in Khlong Luang district.

CCTV cameras caught a well-dressed man and woman arriving on a so-called Big Bike to steal her cart.

At the time she was abroad, but when staff told her the shop’s garbage cart had gone missing, she reviewed the footage and saw the couple.

The video shows them arriving on their bike and stopping in front of her shop. The man covers the cart with a large bag before riding off.

“What struck me was how well they were dressed — almost like people of means,” Ms Phattharatip said. “The man seemed to know where the cameras were and tried to avoid them, almost like a professional thief.”

She posted the clip to a local Facebook group to warn other businesses in the Khlong Sam area.

Ms Phattharatip believes the theft reflects today’s difficult economic climate. “It wasn’t even an expensive item — just 300 baht. It’s hardly worth filing a police report.

“But that’s why they probably target small things like this, things that are easy to take and resell,” she said. “Judging from their behaviour, I think they’ve done this before.”

She urged other shop owners not to leave items unsecured in front of their stores.

“Even if you think something is worthless or nobody would bother stealing it, in these times people will take anything they can sell. Better to keep it locked away than waste time and money replacing it.”

Collateral damage

Juthamas is taken to hospital.

A Mathayom 6 (Grade 12) girl in Trang was shot in the hip while riding pillion with her boyfriend after they encountered a group of rival teens.

The gunman, police later learned, was only 18.

The attack occurred along the road leading to Somdet Phra Srinagarindra 95 Park, also known as Khao Pae Choi, in Muang district.

The injured victim and her friends took refuge following the shooting at a petrol station on Huai Yot Road.

Juthamas (no surname given), 18, of Palian district, was shot once in the hip with an unknown type of firearm.

Juthamas was riding pillion on a motorcycle driven by her boyfriend, Thitiphum (no surname given), 16, about midnight on Aug 18.

He was taking her to hang out with friends at the park, she said, when they ran into a group of youths who had a grievance with one of Thitiphum’s friends.

The rival group fired a gun at Thitiphum’s friend, but the weapon misfired.

Thitiphum sped off with Juthamas on the back. The gang ordered them to stop, but when he didn’t, one fired a shot, hitting Juthamas in the hip.

Thitiphum continued fleeing with her holding on behind until they reached the petrol station, where they sought help. She was later taken to hospital, while the shooters fled.

Police have identified the gunman as an 18-year-old from Muang district.

He remains at large but is being pursued to face legal action.

Heat of the moment

The ramshackle shelter where the old men were drinking.

An old man in Khon Kaen has been arrested after hitting a drinking friend over the head in a row over a woman they admired.

The men were drinking at the home of the 56-year-old woman at the centre of a supposed love triangle when they started to argue.

Waeng Yai police nabbed C (a pseudonym), 75, for killing A, 80, at the house.

C was waiting when police arrived, still holding the hoe, and visibly intoxicated, reports said.

The incident took place in B’s yard. A was found with a severe wound to the right temple after the old man allegedly hit him.

The suspect said he brought alcohol to drink outside B’s house on the morning of Aug 18. A, who joined them, provoked him by claiming the suspect secretly liked the woman and made insulting remarks, he said, sparking a heated argument.

The woman tried to intervene, asking both men to leave her home to prevent further conflict.

Once outside in the yard, the suspect grabbed a nearby hoe and struck the victim on the head with great force, killing him immediately.

Police charged him with premeditated murder.

Tide of theft; kiln stash; knives aplenty; free feed

2025-08-17T08:02:00.001+07:00

A laid-back lot

The canal path which the thieves took in their boat.

Brazen thieves in Samut Prakan exploited a rising tide to travel by boat and break into riverside houses, forcing open doors and taking valuables worth over 4 million baht.

The thieves broke into three homes in Na Kluea sub-district, Phra Samut Chedi district. So confident were they about not getting caught that they even switched on the air con at one place and helped themselves to drinks from the fridge.

The thieves made off with cash and Buddha images, said Pol Lt Sarawut Sermklin, deputy inspector (investigation) of Ban Khlong Suan police. He received reports of multiple break-ins in Village 5 of the district’s Ban Sakla community.

The first place, belonging to Sarayut (no surname given), 38, is a single-storey raised wooden house. Beneath the house, on the muddy ground, footprints were visible, and muddy footprints also marked the steps.

The wooden front door had been forced with a screwdriver, breaking the padlock. Inside, belongings were scattered about.

Stolen items included wristwatches, old coins, collectible banknotes, and amulets with a total value over 50,000 baht.

Sarayut, a Buddha amulet trader with a shop in the Phra Pradaeng amulet market, said no one lived in the house permanently, and he only visited occasionally.

His younger sister, who returned to collect a watch for their father in Lampang, discovered the break-in.

The thief likely took advantage of the high tide to bring a boat to the back of the house, slipped through the underfloor space, and stole the goods.

What infuriated him most was that the culprit coolly turned on a fan and the bedroom air-conditioner, and drank two bottles of water from the fridge.

The second house was a three-storey wooden place belonging to 85-year-old twin sisters.

The intruder forced open the back door and stole items from the second and third floors: two 12cm Luang Pho To Buddha images, a medium-sized safe, over 100 collectible antique coins, six CCTV cameras, two old silver betel sets, more than 20 gold rings, and 30 amulets — worth over 40,000 baht.

Phayao, 85, said she and her twin sister had been staying in Muang district since July, at their niece’s request, for easier care and medical visits.

When they returned to clean the house, they found the back door pried open and valuables taken, including the six CCTV cameras installed around the house.

The third house belongs to a former university lecturer. The intruder stole 30 baht-weight of gold jewellery, a diamond set, cash, collectible coins and banknotes, and amulets, worth over 3 million baht.

Police believe the thieves were locals familiar with the homeowners’ routines. They likely worked in pairs or more, targeting houses along the canal, and used boats to approach during high tide. Investigations are underway to track them down.

Roughing it by the coal kiln

The drug dealer is caught at his forest shelter.

A man in Phetchaburi chose an odd place to deal drugs: a small shelter deep inside woodland, from where he dispensed drugs to local teens.

He was caught red-handed by the “Pachada” special police unit from Cha-Am district, who heard about his exploits.

Pol Col Apirak Permchai, chief of Cha-Am police, nabbed Sawat (surname withheld), 31, from Photharam district in Ratchaburi.

They seized 4,407 ya ba pills and 38.69 grammes of ya ice from Sawat, which he secreted at a charcoal kiln shelter in a dense forest.

Sawat was living at the shelter in village 10 of Khao Yai sub-district. He was a “low-level drug agent” distributing narcotics to local youths. When officers approached he tried to flee but was caught.

A search turned up the crystal meth in his shoulder bag, and the shelter was found to contain many meth pills.

Sawat admitted the drugs were his. A woman in the village, known as Ying (no other details given), tossed meth pills near the entrance of an alley for him to collect and store.

He would get phone calls informing him where to deliver or sell the meth. He also sold crystal meth to customers. Sawat had been arrested once previously in Hua Hin district, Prachuap Khiri Khan province. Police charged him and are looking for “Ying” and other network members.

Well-armed nutter

Sawang is nabbed after stabbing a neighbour to death.

A Khon Kaen man known to be suffering from mental illness and carrying three knives stabbed a neighbour to death, claiming the victim was partly responsible for his divorce.

A local hospital later confirmed he had not been taking his prescribed medication.

Ban Fang police nabbed the suspect, Sawang (no surname gven), 56, after he stabbed his neighbour Khoe (no surname given), 68, in Ban Lao sub-district.

The suspect was walking about holding a knife. Police identified themselves, ordered him to drop the weapon, and took him into custody. They seized from Sawang a short pointed knife about a handspan long. A bloodstained machete was also found, and a hooked machete with a wooden handle.

Sawang, who had been carrying all three weapons, admitted stabbing Khoe out of resentment, believing he had contributed to his divorce. A urine test found no illegal drugs.

Later, Ban Fang Hospital told police that Khoe had died from his injuries. Inquiries revealed that Sawang lived alone, suffered from a psychiatric illness, and had been admitted to psychiatric hospitals multiple times. However, he did not take medication as prescribed. He was charged with murder.

Content still pays well


	The Cambodia influencer and below, the food he bought for the troops.

A Cambodian influencer is prospering amid the border crisis, even if ordinary traders are finding it tough.

Thai news outlets ran images of a young Cambodian influencer, unnamed in reports, who bought roast pig, roast duck, and side dishes to treat Cambodian soldiers at a frontline base.

This was to thank them for letting him film content from their daily lives — earning the influencer over $57,530, or about 2,094,360 baht.

On Aug 13, the Facebook page “Army Military Force” hailed the meal. Accompanying images show the young influencer seated in front of the troops.

It also shows simple food in white styrofoam boxes, alongside more elaborate fare such as a roast pig in a box, and pork being cooked in racks over coal stoves.

Meanwhile, news reports say border trade between the two countries has fallen precipitously, with losses estimated to be as high as 500 million baht per month in some northeastern provinces.

Prior to the breakout in hostilities, monthly border trade averaged around 10 billion baht, with a big share occurring through eastern checkpoints. Lt Gen Boonsin Padklang, commander of the Second Army Region, said on Thursday his forces were not ready to reopen the border just yet.

Old man with a knife; forest farewell; sleeping it off

2025-08-10T07:47:00.001+07:00

Slingshot man ramps it up

Lop was nabbed after stabbing Gus with a knife.

An old man in Khon Kaen has been charged with assault for stabbing a teenage boy with a knife, merely for walking in front of his place.

Tha Phra police nabbed Lop (no surname provided), 78, after he stabbed “Gus” (no other details provided), 13, at a friend’s place in Don Han sub-district.

Gus was walking past the old man’s place on the way to see Panwad (no surname provided), 18, an older friend and the owner of the house where the attack occurred.

Panwad said Gus often came over to hang out. However, whenever he came, old man Lop would wait nearby with a slingshot and take a shot at him.

On Aug 4, Gus was walking past Lop’s house on his way to see her when the suspect confronted the boy and threatened him with a 30cm knife still in its sheath.

He struck Gus with the sheathed knife, prompting the boy to retreat into her house.

But Lop followed him inside, pulled the knife from its sheath, and slashed the back of the boy’s neck, causing heavy bleeding and knocking him to the ground.

It is not clear what help Panward offered. However, she did ask a friend to start filming the attack on his phone so they could alert police.

It includes images of the old man holding the knife and his slingshot, and has since gone viral.

Lop put his knife away after the attack and kicked the person who was recording the incident. The wound he left in the boy’s neck was 3cm deep.

Panward said old man Lop also turned up at her place the night before, complaining young Gus had stomped past his place, making a racket.

Gus lives with his grandmother, Kaenchon (no surname provided), 57, who said Lop was known in the area for reacting aggressively to any children walking past his house.

He would often shoot at them with a slingshot, would speak to them brusquely, and appeared to have a strong dislike for children in general.

Kaenchon said Gus’s mother would now take Gus to live with her in Kalasin, as the family was worried about their safety.

Pol Col Prateep Panyawat, superintendent of Tha Phra police, said officers detained Lop the next day and seized the knife as evidence.

Lop, who admitted the offence, was charged with assault causing injury, armed trespass with intent to cause harm, and carrying a weapon in public without reasonable cause.

He was remanded to Khon Kaen provincial court for legal action.

Following the trail of death

The spot in the forest where J’s body was found.

A trail runner from Chon Buri took a roundabout journey to Doi Suthep in the North as he embarked on a last trip before apparently ending his life.

The body of “J” (no name was provided), 31, was found in deep forest behind Wat Phra That Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai.

Chiang Mai forensic police, along with officers from Phuping Rajanivej police, the National Park Rescue Centre 1 (Chiang Mai), and the High Angle Rescue Club of Thailand recovered J’s body. He was discovered by a local who had gone into the forest to forage for mushrooms.

Initial checks suggested J had been dead for more than a week. The body was dressed in trail running gear — black long pants and a grey, long-sleeved shirt.

About 10 metres away, police found a black backpack containing clothes, hiking equipment, shoes, and an unopened water bottle, but not his phone, which he left in Bangkok on the first leg of his farewell journey.

The body was taken to the Forensic Medicine Department at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital.

Jittraporn Kanthi, village head of Doi Suthep, said local dogs had been howling oddly days earlier — a common sign, villagers believe, that someone has died.

After the body was found, she posted a call on social media seeking the dead man’s relatives, as no ID was found.

J’s wife contacted her, saying her husband had disappeared from Chon Buri.

When shown a photo of the recovered backpack, she burst into tears, saying she had bought the backpack for her husband.

J’s wife, Ms Jittraporn said, told her she had ended their relationship on June 12 after a troubled patch, and J evidently decided to end his life pursuing one of his favourite pastimes: running and hiking in the forest.

Piecing together his last movements, police said J travelled from Chon Buri to Bangkok, where he abandoned his car, phone, and all personal documents.

On July 13, he took a train to Chiang Mai and visited Chiang Mai City police, where he borrowed a lawyer’s phone and called his wife.

He told her she could now report him missing. After that call, no one in the family was able to reach him again, until his body was found.

His wife told police that J had a passion for trail running in the forest but suffered from chronic asthma.

The body was found about 700m off the trail between Wat Doi Suthep, Sai Yoi Waterfall, and Ban Khun Chang Khian.

It is believed he may have wandered deep into the forest on his own, and the dense vegetation, steep terrain, and rainy-season conditions could have triggered an asthma attack.

Pol Sub-Lt Somphot Noikhong, an investigator from Phuping Rajanivej station, said the cause of death is pending the result of an autopsy.

Letting it all hang out

The three men splayed out on the road and in the truck, oblivious to the world

Chiang Rai motorists thought they had stumbled upon the scene of a mass accident, or worse, when they spotted a group of men slumped over by the side of the road.

In fact, it was just a bunch of drinkers who had pulled over for a rest, though the extremely relaxed poses they adopted suggested much worse to passersby, as if they had died on the spot.

Mae Sai police posted images on Facebook from the scene in which three men were found sleeping, including one bare-chested guy, spread-eagled on the road.

His two mates are also out for the count in the back of a pickup truck nearby.

At first glance, the scene resembled a brutal slaying from a horror movie, said passing motorists, who alerted police to their fears.

However, a closer look revealed certain giveaway clues: an open bottle of whisky spilt by the side of the road.

When patrol police approached, they found the men were in fact in a state of deep sleep and that no harm had come to them.

The truck itself barely made it onto the shoulder of the road before the driver was overcome by fatigue.

The men were discovered in the middle of the Mae Sai bypass road in Mae Sai subdistrict, as if it were their own personal bed.

Patrol officers woke them up, had a brief chat, and advised them to go home and rest properly.

The post quickly went viral, racking up over 1,700 likes within four hours. Netizens flocked to offer the comments, amused and bewildered in equal measure:

“Sleeping in the back of a truck is one thing, but sleeping on the road? That’s next level.”

“Well, at least they didn’t drink and drive!”

“How much did they have to drink to pass out like that?”

“Thailand: sleep anywhere you want.”

One predicted the men could expect a good tongue lashing when they staggered home to their wives.

The ex will do; phone slasher nabbed; Dad's love

2025-08-03T07:36:00.001+07:00

Leaving his mark

Scene of the attack

A man from Chon Buri stormed into his ex-wife’s house hoping to reconcile — but when he couldn’t find her, fatally stabbed her father instead.

Huay Yai police nabbed Panupong (no surname given), 28, a swimming pool technician, for killing his ex father-in-law, Siwapong (no surname given), 54, a construction contractor, at his home in Bang Lamung district.

He burst into the victim’s bedroom on Wednesday and stabbed him with a 15cm kitchen knife which he left embedded in his chest. The brutal killing took place in front of the victim’s horrified wife and grandson.

The suspect fled on his motorcycle, but police caught up with him at his mother’s place.

Panupong, who says he was drunk at the time, was found shaking and visibly remorseful.

When the victim’s relatives saw him later, they tried to assault him, but police managed to intervene in time and took him into custody.

Rian, 53, the victim’s wife, said she was sleeping in the bedroom with her husband and grandson when the attacker suddenly opened the door and stabbed her husband in the chest, then calmly walked away.

She was shocked by the incident and said her husband had never had any conflict with Panupong.

She believes the motive may stem from a failed reconciliation attempt with her daughter.

Another knife was found in the daughter’s room, suggesting Panupong may have intended to harm her as well. Fortunately, she wasn’t home at the time, or the tragedy could have been even worse.

The victim’s 31-year-old daughter, unnamed in news reports, said she had been in a relationship with the suspect for about a year before breaking up just over a month ago due to his drug abuse and violent temper.

He had recently tried to reconcile, but she refused. She believes Panupong came to the house to harm her, as he had climbed into the house once before.

Since she wasn’t home and the suspect was likely intoxicated and irrational, he attacked her father instead.

Panupong’s mother said her son had come to her after the attack, confessed and expressed regret.

Panupong had never shown any signs that he was capable of such violence, she said. Charges were pending.

Bridge thief caught

Thanakorn's bad phone habit

A teen gangster known for slashing at his victims wrists before making off with their phone has been nabbed, with a background check revealing a lengthy record going back to when he was 15.

Crime Suppression Division police arrested Thanakorn, also known as “Tee Bang Kruai,” 18, who, along with two accomplices, stabbed and robbed a man under Rama VII Bridge.

The suspect attacked his victim with a knife, slashing his left hand as he was absorbed with his phone, and fled with the device.

He was caught in soi Rattanathibet, Muang district of Nonthaburi, and arrested on a warrant stemming from the Nov 13, 2024 robbery, though inquiries revealed he had done a similar thing before.

While being treated at Phra Nang Klao Hospital, the victim learned that another individual had recently been robbed in a similar way under the bridge — this time in Bang Kruai police’s jurisdiction.

The victim alerted Prachachuen police, who reviewed CCTV footage and contacted their Bang Kruai counterparts, leading to Thanakorn’s arrest.

The suspect admitted all charges, including joint robbery with a weapon causing serious injury.

A background check revealed Thanakorn had committed multiple crimes starting at age 15, including attempted murder at that age, possession of an illegal firearm at age 16 and another robbery at age 17.

He was handed over to Prachachuen police for legal proceedings.

No way to make an impession

Duan outside the school.

A drunken father in Buri Ram stormed his son’s school with two knives, sending staff and students scattering, after the school blocked his previous attempts to gain access to the boy.

Satuek police were called to the school in tambon Thung Wang after the suspect, Duan (no surname given), 52, from Roi Et province, chased after the director with his weapons but was unable to reach him.

Upon arrival, officers found a dejected Duan sitting in a school pavilion beside a white Honda Wave motorcycle without a licence plate.

He had a pointed blade and a kitchen knife, which they confiscated.

Duan said he rode to the school from his home in Roi Et and stormed his son’s school with knives in hand, angry at the director who prevented him from transferring his son to a school in his home province.

The director, Chitsanu (no surname provided), said he saw Duan ride into the school grounds, open his motorcycle seat and pull out the knives before walking directly toward him.

Chitsanu shouted for help and ran into a classroom, instructing students to lock the doors.

Some students fled the school and ran into a nearby village, while Duan chased the director with his knives.

Duan’s son is a Mathayom 3 student at the school. According to Chitsanu, this was the third time Duan had come to see his son, and each time, he was drunk.

This time, however, he brought the knives, prompting the school to alert local authorities.

Village chief Athiwat (no surname given) said Duan had separated from his wife, a village local, almost three years ago.

Duan told the chief he only wanted to take his 15-year-old son back to live with him in Roi Et.

He works as a freelance photographer and has two children with his ex-wife: an 8-year-old daughter, and the boy. Both children live with their mother in Satuek district.

He said he had tried to take his son to live with him twice before, but the school director refused each time.

That morning, he stopped at a roadside grocery store and drank a small bottle of white liquor to calm his nerves before riding to the school.

He claimed he brought the knives only to scare the teachers and had no intention of harming anyone.

He said the director had consistently blocked his efforts to take his son, arguing the boy needed to complete the term first.

But Duan insisted he wanted to transfer his son to a school near his home for a better future — as a father concerned for his son’s wellbeing.

Police conducted a urine test on Duan and found no trace of drugs.

He was charged initially with trespassing on government property and carrying knives in public without reasonable cause.

Hit-and-run; crack find; pilots aground; wife deals for hubby

2025-07-27T07:27:00.000+07:00

A convoluted tale

The pickup under which the body was trapped.

Police are tracking down a trailer truck driver who allegedly hit a teen motorcyclist in Kamphaeng Phet and fled the scene.

A pickup truck hit the body of Natthawut (surname withheld), 17, a student at a technical college, on the rebound moments after the trailer truck hit him, dragging his body some distance along the road.

The pickup driver stopped at a petrol station in Taitrung sub-district, Muang district, when staff pointed out the body was trapped underneath.

Police called to the scene found an Isuzu pickup truck with a box compartment, registered in Chiang Mai and loaded with dried mangoes.

Natthawut’s body was caught beneath the truck’s chassis, about 20 centimeters above the ground.

A friend of the student’s who passed by on a motorcycle recognised him from a keychain he had bought the young man, and provided initial identification. It was later confirmed at the scene by Natthawut’s distraught father.

The pickup driver, Kriangkrai (surname withheld), denied involvement, saying he hit an object in the middle of the road without realising it was a body.

The student had been hit by a trailer truck which passed by earlier, he said, citing a witness.

Confusingly, news reports quoted him saying that he had spoken to the witness to the accident but still drove over the body.

About 300 metres away, along the southbound side of Phahon Yothin Road near the petrol station, officers found a severely damaged Honda Wave motorcycle.

The rear of the vehicle showed signs of strong impact, its licence plate was missing, and there were long scrape marks along the road.

Kriangkrai said he was travelling from Lampang to Bangkok. It was raining and dark when he saw a white object reflecting light on the road.

He attempted to brake and swerve but couldn’t, fearing he would lose control due to the heavy load.

He chose to drive over the object and pulled into the petrol station nearby, when staff told him he had dragged a body underneath.

Kriangkrai insisted he hadn’t hit the motorcycle.

He claimed that a witness, driving another pickup truck ahead of him, told him that a trailer truck had hit the motorcycle first. The trailer truck driver allegedly removed the body before fleeing the scene.

Kriangkrai said he only drove over the body afterward, unaware it was a person.

He and the alleged witness exchanged contact information before the witness rushed off to deliver produce to a market in Bangkok.

The victim’s father, Nakorn (surname withheld), 41, said his son had called around 8.45pm asking for money to buy food. He transferred 100 baht, but soon after was told by police his son had been killed.

When he arrived and looked under the truck, he collapsed in grief. Police are trying to find the trailer truck allegedly involved.

Tucked in a dark place

The dealer who stuffed drugs down his backside.

A drug dealer in Saraburi stuffed methamphetamine pills into the cleft of his buttocks but was caught by police, who retrieved a total of 99 pills.

Muang police, joined by the district chief, raided a house in the Khao Kuba community where they found a 53-year-old man cooking.

They were pursuing an anti-drugs policy known as “No Drugs, No Dealers,” working to build drug-free communities.

Police instructed him to put down his kitchen knife and read him a search warrant. The man denied possessing any illegal drugs.

A search of the house turned up nothing, but when officers searched the man himself, they found the meth pills hidden in the crack of his buttocks.

Retrieving the plastic bag, officers discovered 99 methamphetamine pills inside.

Confronted with the evidence, the man confessed they were his. He admitted one of the pills was broken and he had already consumed it, which left him one pill short of the magic 100.

The suspect, unnamed in reports, said he intended to sell the rest to youths in the local community. He was taken to Muang station for further legal proceedings.

That flight’s grounded

Cops nab one of the traffickers.

Two drug “pilots” in Nakhon Si Thammarat, as drug runners are known, were brought down to earth when their means of transport ran aground.

As they exited their sedan and opened the hood, locals noticed they were carrying guns on their hips and called Muang district police.

Officers say a four-member drug trafficking gang was delivering drugs when their car broke down in Soi Phatthanakan 3 on Ratchadamnoen Road in Nai Muang sub-district.

Police managed to nab two suspects, identified as Kreetha, or Boy (no surname given), 28, from Chalerm Phrakiat district, who was found with a homemade 9mm handgun; and Thossaphon (no surname given), 33, from Pak Phanang district, who was found carrying a .22 Magnum King Cobra revolver. Two others managed to flee the scene.

Nearby, police found a black sedan with its hood open — the vehicle the suspects had used to travel in.

Police say residents had noticed four men exiting the car after it broke down. One opened the hood, and locals observed that when they lifted their shirts, they appeared to be carrying firearms.

Alarmed, they called the police. Officers later conducted urine tests on the suspects which found drugs in their system.

The pair said they had delivered meth to a customer in downtown Nakhon Si Thammarat. They attempted to leave via a side street to avoid police but their car broke down.

While trying to fix it, they were caught. The suspects face firearms and drug charges. Police are looking for the others.

Keeping it close to home

The husband and wife talk to police.

A woman in Krabi sold methamphetamine so her husband could use it, not wanting him to buy from others.

Police nabbed the wife, and in an unusual twist made her husband sign an agreement promising to take care of their children while she served her prison time.

Preecha Sa-ingthong, district chief of Muang Krabi police, joined by an administrative task force, was pursuing the “No Drugs, No Dealers” policy targeting drug activity in tourist areas when they came across the woman.

Wichuda (no surname given), was found with 271 methamphetamine pills at her home in Ao Nang subdistrict. She said this was her first time dealing, and she has two children in school.

She had bought two bags of methamphetamine totaling 400 pills — some of which she gave to her husband to use and the rest she sold. At the time of arrest, 271 pills remained.

She bought them at 22 baht per pill and sold them at 40 baht each, nearly doubling her money. Her clientele included local workers and youths in the community.

Wichuda said she sold the drugs mainly because her husband was an addict, and she didn’t want him buying from others. “Husband uses, wife sells” — it’s a new kind of marketing strategy, she said.

She claimed that while she sold, she never used the drugs herself.

Officials later called in her husband and made him sign an agreement that while his wife was serving her time for the drugs offence, he must care for their children. They also made him promise not to take another wife. Her husband tearfully agreed to the terms.

Street fighter unbowed; scold meets match; clean kill

2025-07-20T07:18:00.001+07:00

Going man to man

Peerapat attacks his rival, Earth.

A Sai Mai kickboxer is warning a local troublemaker who took him on outside a convenience store, and lost, not to attempt a second round.

Facebook user Peerapat “Fluke” Ngamsilapakorn, who has been training as a kickboxer since the age of six or so, made short work of an aggressive young man identified in the media as “Earth” (no other details provided) when they clashed outside the store.

Earth punched Peerapat after the two started arguing following a near collision in Phahon Yothin 54/1 Soi 4, in the Klong Thanon area. Peerapat released a rapid volley of punches in response, knocking Earth off his feet.

He then kicked him several times in the chest and attempted to grab him in a headlock when a passerby intervened and stopped the fight.

Peerapat’s girlfriend, who was urging the two to cool off, filmed the fight on her phone. The clip quickly went viral, drawing unwelcome media attention to Earth, who nonetheless said he was bruising for another fight.

Before leaving the scene of the clash, an unchastened Earth said he would see Peerapat again, an implicit threat to finish off the fight.

Peerapat 'Fluke' Ngamsilapakorn

Later he contacted Peerapat online after the clip went viral. Earth suggested they meet “man to man” for another round — but this time said he should keep the media out of it.

“Let’s not get the police involved. Man to man — you and me, one more round. Just give me a bit of time. If I had hit your girlfriend that day, you’d have felt it,” Earth said.

Peerapat responded: “He still hasn’t learned his lesson — wants another round. I already let him go the first time.”

Peerapat, whose boxing trainer describes as a quiet, sensitive type, nonetheless has his limits.

Laying a complaint at Sai Mai station, he let reporters photograph him in boxer’s fighting mode, wearing a smart pair of black wraparound shades.

He said he wrestled with the decision to respond to Earth’s provocation. “I’m a very calm person. I never go looking for trouble. But when someone gets cocky and starts yelling at me, why should I just back down?” Peerapat said.

“Everyone taught me not to let people walk over me. I tried talking to him nicely, but he wouldn’t listen. I told him to leave, and he wouldn’t. I could have hit him first, but that wouldn’t be fair since I’m a trained boxer.

“So I let him take the first swing — but I blocked it. What happened after that is in the clip. He talked big, now let me have my say.”

He had no intention of using his Muay Thai skills to hurt anyone, as that goes against the sport’s ethical code.

The row started after he was signalling to turn into a parking area outside the store, which is by Wat Ko Suwannaram School.

Earth approached at speed from behind on his own motorcycle, without headlights on, and nearly crashed into him. He got off his bike and started shouting at Peerapat.

Both men exchanged heated words, as captured in the clip. Earth shoved Peerapat in the chest and repeatedly shouted, “Where do you live?”

Earth then threw a punch, which the boxer countered with a quick, well-executed flurry of blows that sent Earth sprawling to the pavement.

Despite the rematch request, Peerapat went to police, saying he is worried Earth will seek a reprisal, perhaps in the dead of night.

Reporters spoke to Earth’s neighbours and learnt he was fired a couple of weeks ago from a car repair yard. His boss said he wasn’t good at his job as a motor repairman, and often turned up late.

He also had a temper problem, and tools from the workshop had gone missing, which he blamed on Earth.

Earth’s father, meanwhile, said he had entered monkhood to make merit once in the hope his son would turn over a new leaf, but was unsuccessful.

He had severed ties with his son, news reports said. Earth has mild psychiatric issues and drinks kratom juice regularly, his Dad added. The drama continues.

Age gap fuels jealous streak

Namwan (left) shouts at the jealous woman outside the house.

A jealous scold took on more than she bargained for when she threatened to set alight a woman she accused of seeing her husband.

Peng (no surname provided), 50, left a hand-written note threatening to burn alive a neighbour, Som (no surname provided), if she didn’t stop showing an interest in her husband, aged 40.

The pair live in the Huai Pong community in Map Ta Phut district of Rayong.

Som consulted a friend, Namwan (no surname provided), who took her to confront Peng at her house. They filmed their encounter.

Speaking through her closed door, she challenged Peng to step outside and sort out the problem. She refused.

Both sides then shouted abuse at each other through the closed door of Peng’s ramshackle house, with the occupant still refusing to come out.

A clip of the domestic drama quickly went viral, with neighbours confirming Peng was the jealous type.

She abused women who passed by the front of her house, even those who had never met her husband, they said.

Namwan said Peng moved in recently and had been verbally abusing her friend for over a month.

The encounters took a more sinister turn when Peng left the hand-written note threatening to douse Som in gasoline and set her on fire.

“I initially approached her to to talk peacefully, but she responded with insults, so I lost my temper and yelled back,” she told reporters.

Peng proved no match for the feisty Namwan, telling her meekly to mind her own business.

Namwan replied with the cutting line: “I’d love to know just how handsome your husband is to justify you messing around with my friend so much.”

Peng admitted her husband, who was not seen in the clip, was not the handsome type — adding that was just as well.

Namwan believes the problem started when Som came home from work one evening, the same time as Peng’s husband happened to ride up on his motorbike.

That mere coincidence convinced Peng they were seeing each other romantically when in reality her friend didn’t even know what the husband looked like.

Namwan later took reporters to the scene, only to find Peng’s house locked up. They spoke to Yupin (no surname provided), a 59-year-old neighbour who’s lived in the area for 10 years.

Yupin said Peng has been clinging to her husband following the row with Namwan but still returns home to verbally abuse him.

“She yells at him morning, evening and night — sometimes until morning. I can’t sleep.

“She’s been here just two months and already drives the whole neighbourhood crazy. Any woman walking past the house gets yelled at. I’ve even been accused — and I have a husband!”

Yupin added: “This couple used to work with me, and even then, Peng suspected I was trying to steal her man. Som has lived here a long time and is known to be kind and respectful. But this woman just lashes out at everyone.

“If a couple wants to live happily, they should treat each other with respect — not scream at their spouse all day. Maybe the jealousy comes from having a younger husband, who knows.”

Namwan added with a homily of her own: “If you love and care for your husband, ask him first instead of attacking others. Making threats is crossing the line.”

Just popping home for a wash

Wanchana is arrested as he leaves the shower.

A Maha Sarakham man who had just stabbed his adoptive father to death calmly visited a local temple and then returned home for a shower when he was caught by police.

Muang district police nabbed Wanchana (no surname provided), 30, while he was taking a shower at his home in Khwao subdistrict about 4am on July 14.

Police were alerted the previous evening that the suspect’s father, Prawit, 53 had been found at the house with critical stab wounds after a fight with his son.

Rescue workers took him to Maha Sarakham Hospital but he succumbed.

Wanchana fled his home to a local temple, where he slept. Later, he returned to the house for a shower.

Officers took him in for questioning. Police said the suspect had a criminal record going back to 2021, including charges of assaulting his mother, possession of marijuana, resisting arrest and another drugs use rap in 2025.

Wanchana said he only raised the knife to block his father, who he believed was trying to attack him. He admitted to using methamphetamine.

Wanchana added he has no siblings or relatives and was adopted by the victim’s family.

He only learned later through local gossip that they were not biologically related, as their blood types didn’t match. He expressed remorse for his actions.

He faces charges of premeditated murder.

Killers go bananas; heavy load; shooter won’t take no

2025-07-13T07:12:00.001+07:00

Past comes back to haunt

The pink house where Pond sold bananas

A “notorious gangster” turned fruit trader in Nakhon Si Thammarat was shot dead in broad daylight by two men who showed up and pretended to show interest in his bananas.

Tha Sala police were looking for a pair of “strong looking men” who arrived on a motorcycle and could be seen talking to the victim, Ittiphat, also known as “Pond Moklan,” aged 27, in front of his home, before opening fire.

Pond was released from jail several months ago after serving four years on drug-related charges, though his father, who was 40m away when his son was shot, said he was also well-known in the area for theft.

The victim, shot five times in the head and torso, was found clutching a gold necklace tightly, which police suspect he grabbed from his killers when they attacked. Several bunches of bananas belonging to the victim were found for sale on a table and a railing in front of the house.

CCTV images from a shop near the crime scene captured two men wearing black jackets riding past in mid-afternoon on July 8. Two minutes later, five gunshots were heard.

After the shooting, another camera about 300 metres away showed the gunmen removing their black jackets and putting on white t-shirts before fleeing towards Tha Sala district.

Police suspect the killing might be related to a debt in the underground business.

Amornsak, his father, said Pond was living alone, his parents having separated to work on a durian farm in another village. Pond had a history of offending and had several rivals in the area, he said. After his release, Pond had started selling bananas in front of the house to earn a living.

Tha Sala police chief Pol Col Thawatchai Sangkhamitkul said Pond was a prominent gangster in the area.

The men talked to the victim for some time but evidently could not reach an agreement.

While Pond was distracted, one of the assailants pulled out a handgun and fired at him. The victim collapsed and died on the spot. Police were looking for the gunmen.

Steady as she goes

Chotiwat points to a huge drug shipment in his car.

A pickup truck carrying a heavy load tipped off police to an illegal drug consignment passing through Khon Kaen, though they were to find the actual pills in another vehicle.

Highway police, working with the Crime Suppression Division, nabbed a man and his wife from Suphan Buri province for trafficking over 4 million methamphetamine pills.

Police caught Chotiwat (no surname provided), 30, in a grey Chevrolet sedan at a PTT gas station on Highway 2062 in Phra Yuen district. The vehicle was carrying 4,048,000 methamphetamine pills.

The suspect claimed he was originally hired to transport illegal immigrants but was coerced into delivering a consignment of drugs instead.

Police, tipped off about a large-scale drug trafficking operation passing through the province, earlier pulled over his wife, Ploy (no surname provided), after spotting a red four-door pickup truck from Uthai Thani which appeared to be carrying a heavy load.

Ploy was behaving suspiciously when questioned, police said. She claimed she had been to see her boyfriend in Sakon Nakhon and was returning to Suphan Buri.

Although no illegal items were found in her vehicle, her demeanour and constant texting led police to believe another vehicle carrying illegal goods was following. Police told her to carry on with her journey while they looked for the other vehicle.

Officers then drove back to check a PTT gas station about 1km away. There, they found the Chevrolet parked suspiciously. After inspecting the area and finding no driver, they shone a flashlight into the car and discovered several black rectangular packages inside.

Police spotted Chotiwat leaving the restroom of the gas station. When he saw the police, he tried to flee but was caught. Searching the vehicle, police found the drugs.

Chotiwat said he was initially hired to transport illegal immigrants from Bueng Kan province to the Central region for 8,000 baht per person. However, upon arriving at the designated meeting point at a PTT gas station in Bueng Kan, two unknown men took over the vehicle and instructed him to wait at the gas station for about two hours.

It was unclear from news reports what happened to the migrants he was supposedly transporting, as they were not found with him or his wife.

The men returned with the methamphetamines and forced Chotiwat and Ploy to load them into his vehicle, threatening his life if he tried to escape. The pair told him the final destination would be provided via GPS later. Ploy acted as a scout driver using the red Isuzu truck, monitoring the route and updating him on progress, especially when encountering police checkpoints, he said.

Chotiwat was charged initially with conspiring to distribute a Type 1 narcotic. He and his wife were taken to the CSD for legal proceedings, and efforts to apprehend their accomplices ongoing.

Rocky patch ends in fatal shooting

Wirapong ‘Bee’ Na Nakorn

A man in Surat Thani shot dead his girlfriend of three months after she insisted on breaking up with him.

Kanchanadit police nabbed Wirapong “Bee” Na Nakorn, 36, suspected of shooting his girlfriend Supachanee Saelim, 26, at a relative’s house.

A witness said the pair met to clear the air after a rocky patch. A video was made before the shooting in which Mr Bee lets off steam about his relationship problems.

He tells the witness in the video that he felt he was always in the wrong, and every topic they discussed led to arguments, including plans to buy a house. The victim wanted to buy in a specific area, but he did not want to rush it, suggesting they wait until next year.

Over the past 2-3 months, he had also returned to work, which made Supachanee unhappy, leading to her giving him a cold shoulder.

The witness tried to mediate by suggesting they each take a step back in their relationship. Supachanee insisted on breaking up, saying “no, no, no,” which upset Mr Bee.

At that moment, the witness was in a car in front of the house when she saw Mr Bee jump over the wall. Asked where he was going, he replied he was going to get his shoes.

Shortly after, he came back with a firearm and shot Supachanee, before fleeing the scene in a Toyota Revo pickup. Police later tracked down and arrested Mr Bee in Wiang Sa district. He was facing legal action for murder.

Bird row turns deadly; spirited drugs chase; sex toy romp

2025-07-06T08:18:00.001+07:00

Up hill and down dale

Police comb Koh Lanta in Krabi looking for suspected killer (see left) Wiwat Sukontharat.

Police were conducting a manhunt on Koh Lanta in Krabi after a man shot his neighbour, his wife and child, killing two of them, in a row over a pet bird.

Officers were scouring coastal villages, local hills and orchards looking for the suspect, Wiwat Sukontharat, 41, who lived across from his victim’s home.

Wiwat shot dead his neighbour Apiwath Manpian, 37, a taxi driver, in a hail of bullets which also hit the victim’s wife and one-year-old daughter.

Sudarat Boosman, 28, Apiwath’s wife, was shot in the right arm and is recovering, and Nicharin Manpian, his daughter, was shot in the head and later died.

Apiwath himself was shot in the left arm, with the bullet passing through his chest and severing his heart with one shot.

The men had argued the day before after Wiwat discovered his victim had bought a pet bird, a golden-breasted Myna, which his mother had been raising on his behalf, and which came free from its cage.

A villager caught it and sold it to Apiwath, who claimed he did not know it belonged to Wiwat.

When the suspect turned up to ask for its return, Apiwath suggested he buy it back from him. The two exchanged insults and the next day the suspect returned and shot him.

In front of the victim’s house, police found eight 9mm shell casings. Wiwat fled the village on a Yamaha R15 motorcycle, sparking the search.

Police later discovered the suspect’s motorcycle abandoned in a palm plantation at the foot of a hill next to a durian orchard in Koh Lanta Noi, adjacent to a coastal village.

A team of 100 policemen spread out to search the area, covering several kilometres.

Over 30 houses along the coast were checked. Locals said they had seen no sign of him attempting to board a fishing boat to leave the island.

Police, who appealed to residents for help, also searched rubber plantations on the hill that required foot access to huts. They established a perimeter to block escape routes down the hill, which is heavily forested.

Wiwat’s mother, 70, who visited Koh Lanta police, appealed to her son through the media to give himself up. She said her son had a conviction for bodily harm resulting in death in Phang Nga in 2014.

He served eight years in prison before being released two years ago and returning to Koh Lanta to work as a fisherman with relatives.

After the fatal shooting over the bird, he returned to his home and told his mother what he had done. He said he shot the little girl unintentionally and apologised before fleeing.

Police obtained a warrant for his arrest on charges of premeditated murder and firearms charges. The search is ongoing.

Well-paid drug mule trips up

Suspected drug-dealer Bass and his girlfriend following their capture.

A drug-dealer led police on a spirited chase through Buri Ram before abandoning his partner along with 2 million speed pills.

Police in Lam Plai Mat district pursued a pickup truck after it fled the scene of a search, finally shooting the tires multiple times until the vehicle was immobilised.

The driver escaped on foot, leaving his wife in the car along with the methamphetamine pills, before eventually being caught.

The 2 million speed pills found in Bass’ truck.

Earlier, district police spotted a suspect vehicle traveling on the Khu Mueang-Lam Plai Mat road, accompanied by a lead vehicle. Police spotted the bronze-grey Isuzu truck entering the district, and signalled to the driver to stop, but he fled.

Motorcycle and car police units pursued the suspect through various alleys in Lam Plai Mat before firing a the tires, forcing it to a halt.

The driver fled on foot, leaving behind Ladawan (no surname provided), 28, his wife, who was taken into custody.

In the truck’s cabin, officers discovered five sacks of plastic-wrapped packages of methamphetamine, a total of 2 million pills.

Provincial police joined the search and by 6am on June 30, they apprehended Thongkham (no surname given), also known as Bass, 29, 10km from the incident site.

Investigators found a video on his phone showing a box containing 200,000 baht in cash, believed to be payment for the drug transport.

They also seized another Isuzu pickup truck abandoned in Huai Thalaeng district of Nakhon Ratchasima, near the border with Lam Plai Mat. However, the driver had fled.

Ladawan said her husband had picked up the meth from Nakhon Phanom and was delivering it to Saraburi, his second such trip, for which he received 200,000 baht.

Bass said he had made two previous trips, taking 2 million pills each time.

He picked up the drugs from That Phanom in Nakhon Phanom, traveling through Kalasin, Roi Et, Maha Sarakham, and into Lam Plai Mat before heading towards Nakhon Ratchasima.

On his first trip, he delivered the drugs to Ang Thong and received 200,000 baht. They were left on the roadside near his home in Yang Sisurat, Maha Sarakham for him to pick up. He admitted taking at least 10 pills himself during each trip.

Police charged Thongkham with selling and taking drugs.

It’s a rainy-day thing

An LGBTQ+ man in Chiang Mai who rides naked in the rain.

An LGBTQ+ man in Chiang Mai who admits that riding his bike naked in the rain makes him sexually aroused was busted after locals raised concerns.

Mae Faek police arrested the man, “B”, 49, after he was spotted on CCTV riding the streets in San Sai district, naked and with sex toys attached to the front of his bike.

B, originally from Lampang province and who identifies as LGBTQ+, said he had been roaming around the village in this unusual fashion, what he called a “personal preference”, for six years.

Residents filmed him on one of his nighttime escapades early on July 1. The clip was posted online, sparking concerns from locals who say they feared for their safety.

Police traced the motorcycle and arrested him in the middle of the street in Phaya Chedi village. A search turned up three large sex toys and three bottles of lubricant hidden inside a backpack.

B said he experiences sexual urges during the rainy season and would go out once a week for about an hour, riding his motorcycle with a sex toy along the back roads of the village, trying to avoid encounters with residents.

He acknowledged his actions were wrong and apologised to the local community, adding he would seek medical help for his condition.

Police charged him with possession of items related to violations of the Customs Act, public indecency, and possessing obscene materials.