CHIANG RAI – On Tuesday, Police Maj. Gen. Manop Senakul, Commander of Chiang Rai Provincial Police, and Col. Sinat Nilsuk, Superintendent of Wiang Chiang Rung Police Station, ordered an urgent response to a report of a man acting violently and appearing to be under the influence of drugs.
Lt. Col. Yutthakorn Thammavong, Deputy Investigation Superintendent at Wiang Chiang Rung Police Station, led an investigation team along with patrol and traffic officers to the Ban Pa Lao to Ban Rong Wai Road in Village 3, Dong Mahawan Subdistrict, Wiang Chiang Rung District, Chiang Rai.
When police arrived, they spotted a man matching the description in the report. He was later identified as Mr. Thin, also known as “X.” He was riding a Yamaha motorcycle with no license plate on the same road.
Officers identified themselves and told him to stop. Instead, Mr. Thin abandoned the motorcycle and ran toward a clay pit area near Ban Mai Mahawan, Village 12, Dong Mahawan Subdistrict.
Police chased him on foot. During the pursuit, Mr. Thin fired one shot from a short handgun (11 mm) at officers, but no one was hit. Officers stayed close behind, and he ran into a house in the same village area. Police then surrounded the house and contacted his father and relatives to help talk him into surrendering. He still refused.
Because of the risk and the active incident, officers entered to search and move in safely. After police closed in, Mr. Thin surrendered and was arrested without further violence.
During a search of the room, officers seized the following items:
- 95 methamphetamine pills (93 orange pills and 2 green pills)
- One Thai-made 11 mm handgun with no serial number, believed to be the weapon used in the shooting
- One 11 mm round in the chamber
- Five 11 mm rounds loaded in the magazine
In initial questioning, Mr. Thin admitted he had recently used meth. A urine test also showed drug use. He told police he had obtained 100 meth pills from a man named Jatu in Mae Yao Subdistrict, Mueang Chiang Rai District, then used 5 pills himself.
Police informed him of multiple charges, including possession of a Category 1 narcotic (methamphetamine) without permission, illegal firearm possession, carrying a firearm in public without valid reason, firing a gun in a community or public area without valid reason, resisting officers while on duty, attempted murder of an officer while on duty, trespassing in a dwelling during daytime, drug use while driving, and use of a Category 1 narcotic.
Officers sent Mr. Thin and the seized evidence to investigators to continue legal proceedings.
Police Arrest High-Profile Suspect in Kidnapping-for-Ransom Case
Also on February 17, 2026, at 6:30 a.m., Police Maj. Gen. Manop Senakul, Commander of Chiang Rai Provincial Police, and Police Maj. Gen. Nipon Hemsalamad, Commander of Satun Provincial Police, assigned a joint team to arrest a wanted suspect hiding in Chiang Rai.
Police arrested Mr. Prakarn, age 30, from Phatthalung Province. He was wanted for an arrest warrant issued by the Satun Provincial Court on August 11, 2024. The charge listed was kidnapping for ransom involving a victim older than 15, using deception, threats, force, or unlawful detention. Authorities described him as the final remaining fugitive in a serious, widely followed case.
Investigators said the case began on August 6, 2024, when Mr. Prakarn and four others allegedly abducted an 18-year-old woman from her home in La-ngu District, Satun. They then took her to a cattle pen in Huai Yot District, Trang, and held her as a hostage. Police said the group used her to lure another victim, Mr. Apisit, to come out and meet, tied to a personal dispute.
After Mr. Apisit arrived, the suspects allegedly assaulted him with a baseball bat, held a gun to his head, and stabbed his thigh and upper arm. They demanded 550,000 baht as ransom.
Police said the group threatened to sell the young woman to Myanmar if the money was not paid. Investigators also reported that the suspects had already stolen gold jewelry, cash, and an iPhone, and later forced the victims to withdraw more than 150,000 baht from ATMs.
After the crime, Col. Somphong Suwanwong, who at that time served as Deputy Commander of the Region 9 Investigation Division, led efforts that resulted in the arrest of four suspects. Mr. Prakarn escaped and moved across regions. Police said he had been staying with his wife in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai, for more than a year until an informant provided a tip that guided the arrest plan.
During the arrest, Mr. Prakarn admitted he was the person named in the warrant. Officers recorded the arrest at Mae Sai Police Station, then transferred him to investigators at La-ngu Police Station in Satun for prosecution, bringing the major kidnapping-for-ransom case in Southern Thailand to a close.
