CHIANG RAI – Central Investigation Bureau officers arrested a husband and wife wanted on fraud charges in Chiang Rai Province. During the search, police found a Thai-made homemade .38 handgun on the husband. He told officers he carried it for protection while on the run.
The case began after police received a tip-off from a concerned citizen. The tip said a long, quiet stretch of road between Thoeng District and Phaya Mengrai District often had loud firecracker sounds or gunshot-like noises.
Because locals felt unsafe, several units coordinated and set up surveillance along the route early that morning.
Around 8:30 a.m., officers spotted a man and a woman riding a black CBR motorcycle at high speed from the Thoeng side toward Phaya Mengrai. Police signaled them to stop for a check. However, the rider accelerated and tried to flee toward Ban San Pa Sak in Mengrai Subdistrict.
Officers followed closely and stopped the motorcycle as it turned into a side road in Village 3, Mengrai Subdistrict, Phaya Mengrai District, Chiang Rai. After officers identified themselves, both suspects appeared nervous and suspicious.
Police searched the male rider and checked a dark green shoulder bag he was carrying. Inside, they found a homemade .38 handgun with no registration number, 1 firearm.
Suspects wanted in Bangkok fraud cases
Police later identified the suspects as:
- Woranyu, 33, from Thoeng District, Chiang Rai
- Chatkaew, 38, from Mengrai Subdistrict, Phaya Mengrai District, Chiang Rai
When officers ran their names through the Royal Thai Police warrant database, both matched active arrest warrants linked to fraud cases in Bangkok police jurisdictions.
The allegations included joining in fraud by making false statements or hiding important facts from the public, participating in a public loan scam, and entering false or distorted computer data in a way that could harm the public.
During arrest processing, Woranyu admitted the gun belonged to him. He said he brought it from his home in Thoeng District because he wanted protection while traveling to hide at a relative’s house in Phaya Mengrai.
Police charged him with illegal firearm possession and carrying a firearm in public without permission and without a valid reason. Officers took him to investigators at Phaya Mengrai Police Station and coordinated with Taling Chan Police Station for further action related to the warrant.
Chiang Rai Police Bust Avocado Smugglers
Chiang Rai Provincial Police arrested a group accused of smuggling avocados from Myanmar into Thailand near the Mae Sai border. Officers seized more than 4.9 tons of fruit. Police said the shipment had no customs paperwork and no health or plant inspection documents. Three suspects now face charges.
On March 3, 2026, senior police in Chiang Rai ordered an investigation and legal action against three men. Police identified them as Kittipong, 42, from Song District, Phrae, Kitikorn, 36, from Mueang Kamphaeng Phet District; and Songphon, 34, from Pa Sang Subdistrict, Mae Chan District, Chiang Rai.
Authorities accused them of helping hide, transport, possess, or distribute goods they should have known were imported without completing customs procedures.
Police said the arrest followed border patrol checks along the Thailand-Myanmar frontier in Mae Sai. While inspecting an area near a commercial building in Village 13, Mae Sai Subdistrict, officers found two personal pickup trucks parked nearby.
The first white pickup, with a Kamphaeng Phet license plate, carried 113 boxes of avocados. Each box weighed 25 kilograms, for a total of 2,825 kilograms. The second white pickup, also with a Kamphaeng Phet plate, carried 50 boxes, totaling 1,250 kilograms.
Officers identified Kittipong and Kitikorn as the drivers of the two trucks. Meanwhile, Songphon was at the commercial building during the inspection.
After checking the cargo, police said the avocados came from Tachileik, Myanmar, which sits across from Mae Sai. However, officers reported the group could not show an import permit, a health certificate from the origin country, or inspection documents from the plant quarantine checkpoint. As a result, police seized the avocados and took the suspects into custody to proceed under the law.
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