30 Police Raid Room Using Stun Grenades to Capture Cop Killers
Police used stun grenades in the arrest of two men accused of killing a policeman during a shootout while fleeing arrest on drug charges in southern Thailand early this month.
The arrest, which started with stun grenades, involved about 30 fully armed officers. Inside the room, they also discovered the 17-year-old girlfriend of the 45-year-old suspect.
Jamras Rakchan, 45, and Atthaphon Mai-on, 21, were arrested on Friday morning in a rented room at Central Mansion on Lat Phrao 122 Road in Bangkok, Yesterday.
They were prime suspects in the killing of Police Senior Sergeant Major Anan Meesaeng of the Crime Suppression Division in Phatthalung on March 9.
A spokesperson said the suspects were also linked to other cases involving drug smuggling and attempted murder.
Police hunt for the murder weapon
In the weeks following the fatal shooting in Phatthalung, Mr. Jamras had been hiding in rubber plantations in Thailand’s southern region. The spokesperson said he arrived in Bangkok a few days ago and may have been planning to leave the country.
The spokesperson said the suspects denied all charges, but that police were confident in the evidence against them. He also said police had not found the gun used in the March 9 shooting.
Sources say that Mr. Jamras and Mr. Atthaphon traveled to Bangkok in a private vehicle and took a taxi to Wang Thonglang district to rent the room. They knew the area well and hoped that the southerners in their midst would make them more difficult to detect.
