New Zealanders Arrested in Phuket for Assaulting a Police Officer

Police on Thailand’s resort island of Phuket have arrested 2 New Zealand males for assaulting a local traffic police officer and attempting to steal his firearm on Saturday evening.

According to the Phuket Police at 3.50 p.m. on Saturday, Pol Sen Sgt Maj Somsak Noo-iad, a traffic policeman from Chalong station, ordered a stop on Hamish Day, 36, and Oscar Day, 38, on Chaofa Road in tambon Chalong of Phuket because they were riding motorcycles too fast in a community zone and failing to stay in the left lane.

Pol Sen Sgt Maj Somsak said he summoned them to stop but the sped up to flee. The foreigners eventually came to a halt and started shouting. The officer pulled out his phone to record the encounter.

The two New Zealanders then interrupted the recording and attacked the police officer, knocking him to the ground and attempting to take his pistol. During the fight, the handgun fired once, however, the bullet did not strike anyone.

Other officers from the Chalong station raced to the scene and arrested both New Zealanders. They were eventually charged with robbery, obstruction of police duty, physical assault on a police officer, driving without a licence.

Pol Col Ekarat Plaiduang, chief of Phuket’s Chalong station, stated on Sunday that both New Zealanders were detained at the station and would be transferred to the Phuket Provincial Court on Monday, when a request to extend their custody would be filed.

The station chief stated that after being caught, both proposed a bribe, which Pol Sen Sgt Maj Somsak declined.

Pol Sen Sgt Maj Somsak was injured and was treated and released from the hospital. He would be praised and rewarded for his efforts, Pol Col Ekarat said it was the first time tourists had attacked a police officer.

Phuket Police Investigate Murder

Police in Phuket are investigating the murder of 41-year-old Russian national Mr. Artur Mkhitarian. His body was discovered on Wednesday morning at a rented property on a hill in Soi Chao Fah 67, Chalong Sub-district. He had died from a stab wound.

Mr. Mkhitarian is believed to have been murdered between 20 hours and the discovery of his body on March 13.

Miss Anna, the victim’s wife, reported him missing on Tuesday evening after he failed to return home. She and a friend, Mr. Axandr, called the automobile rental business that Mr. Mkhitarian had used, and they were able to locate the body on the marijuana field.

Witnesses living near the crime scene reported hearing a commotion on the night of the murder, March 12, but were unable to comprehend what was said because the people involved did not speak Thai.

Mr. Mkhitarian had arrived in Phuket on January 28, 2024, and his visa would expire on April 26, 2024. Miss Anna, 32, stated that she and her husband have been living in Phuket with his parents and two children.

She last saw her spouse alive on March 12 and was unable to reach him after 5:00 p.m. that day.

Miss Anna reported her husband missing to the police, who tracked the car’s GPS to the marijuana plantation. The body was discovered inside the house.

Police suspect Ms. Khanitha, a Thai woman with a foreign lover, rented the residence where the murder occurred. Mr. Bakhtovar Murozoda, a Tajikistani national, also stayed at the house. Following Mr. Mkhitarian’s disappearance, he flew from Phuket to Istanbul, Turkey at 9:38 p.m. on March 12.

On March 14, police discovered a red Honda PCX motorcycle that the suspect had abandoned at Phuket International Airport’s international terminal. They checked it for latent fingerprints and blood stains.

Furthermore, according to CCTV evidence, Mr. Murozoda was the only person present in the house at the time of the occurrence. Mr. Murozoda left the house alone, but Mr. Mkhitarian did not, and he died later.

The police then asked the court to approve the arrest warrant. On March 14, 2024, the court authorized Mr. Murozoda’s arrest for the offense of “intentionally killing another person.” The police will collaborate with Interpol officers to apprehend the suspect.