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

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

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

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

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

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.