Gunman caught short, greedy burglar, paranoid neighbour

Wrong place to seek relief

A gunman hired to kill a local body politician

Police in Pathum Thani nabbed a gunman hired to kill a local body politician almost by chance, as the gunman was urinating by the side of the road.

Nong Sua police arrested Athorn Amaiphakdee, 30, from Prachuap Khiri Khan, after he pulled up on a motorbike in Bueng Cham Aor sub-district on April 30 to relieve himself.

He was riding pillion and thought to be waiting for the man who hired him to point out his target.

When the driver of the motorcycle saw police he fled, leaving Mr Athorn to face the music alone. Police say Mr Athorn was carrying a Colt Gold Cup handgun with the registration filed off, and 26 bullets. He admitted he had been hired to kill an elected politician in the district.

Police would not identify the target, though one report said the politician’s first name started with the Thai letter Nor Noo, and he works for the Democrat Party. Nor would they not comment on any connection with the campaign for the general election on May 14. Police passing by the area said they thought the pair looked suspicious so asked to talk to them.

Mr Athorn, who has a history of drug offences, said he took on the job to return a favour. The man who hired him, whom he identified as "Noom", had given him 200,000 baht in the past when he had no money.

This time Noom offered him another 100,000 baht to kill the politician. Police believe he was waiting for his boss to point out the intended target, and that Mr Athorn may have planned to kill the target that very night.

Police found a voice message on the gunman’s phone from Noom, asking if he was free to do the job. Mr Athorn said yes, as he had no money. As police approached, he hurriedly tried to delete the messages on his phone, without success.

Someone came to pick up the gunman from his home province and they stayed the night in Nakhon Pathom before travelling on to Pathum Thani.

He had booked into a hotel and ventured out that night when he was caught by the side of the road. Mr Athorn said he had been paid 80,000 baht of the kill fee so far, with the rest to be paid on completion of the job. Police, who have yet to identify Noom, have charged Mr Athorn for the time being with firearms offences.

Caught red-handed

Chitipat Panthieng points to a hidden stash of stolen goods

Don Muang police caught a greedy burglar at a house he had broken into two times previously, after he came back for a third time to steal some more goods.

Police were investigating a complaint filed by the owner of the two-storey home occupied previously by retired Pol Lt Gen Wiboonsak Sitthidecha, former head of Metropolitan Police Division 7, who died in 2015.

The burglar, Chitipat Panthieng, 37, a driving instructor, said he was passing the place some months ago when he noticed a “Buddha room” (room where Buddhist icons are kept) on the top storey of the house, and that the place appeared to be unoccupied.

He decided to break in. Mr Chitiphat said he parked his motorcycle by a nearby hotel and climbed a fire escape at the rear of the property so he could gain access to the house. He stole three Buddha images which he stuffed in a sack and later sold to his mates for 3,000 baht each.

Emboldened by those easy earnings, he broke in again on April 28 when he stole some more amulets, which he hid behind water tanks at the rear of the hotel. The next day he went back to retrieve them but on the spur of the moment decided to break into the house a third time to lift some more goods. This time, however, he was caught.

The homeowner had reported the theft earlier that day. Police examined CCTV in the area and saw a man driving up to the hotel on April 28 on his motorcycle. When they visited the house as part of their inquiries they saw the same motorcycle parked by the hotel again and realised the burglar must have come back.

They called for reinforcements, surrounded the house and started searching for him inside. They found Mr Chitiphat hiding in a wardrobe, clutching a statue of King Rama IX and 63 Buddhist amulets which he hoped to steal.

A search of his place in Sai Mai later found more amulets, a porcelain Chinese doll and an emerald Buddha statuette.

Mr Chitiphat, who has been charged with theft, said he gained access to the house via the verandah at the rear of the hotel. He climbed a tree, and let himself in through the second-storey window.

Sitting target

Kasem Ad-ae, in the back of the truck, after his arrest for murder.

A man in Lampang killed a neighbour in the paranoid belief that his own life was under threat, the village headman says. In fact, the victim didn’t give his killer a moment’s thought.

Chae Hom police found the body of Patipon Chaichat, 49, shot in the left rib cage with a rifle.

His killer, Kasem Ad-ae, 63, lived nearby and was waiting to surrender to police.

Mr Kasem said he had a grievance against the victim dating back years and when he saw him park his vehicle by the road on April 1, nearby his own place, decided to kill him.

“He believed that if he didn’t act first, the other side would do the job,” one news report said.

He grabbed his rifle, walked over and shot the victim once, killing him.

A 12-year-old girl, chatting to her father at their family home nearby, was also shot by the bullet, which appears to have gone astray after hitting the intended victim.

The bullet entered her left arm. She was treated at a local hospital but doctors declared her out of danger.

Wasana Jaimun, 49, the village head, said Mr Kasem was paranoid as the victim in fact posed no danger, as far as she knew.

“He was simply a trader. If they had a problem, I don’t know the details. Patipon was talking to three or four mates over a beer when Kasem just walked up and shot him.

“The killer’s place was 30m away and the victim had no time to respond,” she said. Police charged Mr Kasem with the cold-blooded killing.