News
Senior Police Officer Sacked for Extortion and Attempted Rape
A senior police officer has been sacked for allegedly demanded 100,000 baht and sex from a female motorist in exchange for dismissing a trespassing accusation. The incident happened after her car broke down one night in Saraburi province.
The woman reportedly described a terrifying event in which a strange man came to her rescue on a dark road and then attempted to molest her, leading to the accusation of unauthorised entry.
The woman, whose name has been concealed, sought assistance from social media advocate Kanthat Pongpaiboonvej, who took her to the Saraburi police station to submit an initial complaint and subsequently to deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn.
According to the woman, the traumatic events occurred in Saraburi province in October of last year.
She was travelling home late at night when her car broke down and the battery died, leaving her stranded alongside the road.
A man came to her aid and pulled her car to a home on a remote street. He informed her he was going to grab a gallon container to buy petrol. She begged to borrow a charger because her phone’s battery had also died. He urged her to go inside a room and get it.
When she entered the room, he shut the door and attempted to sexually molest her.
She eluded him by asking to use the loo and then fled, climbing over a fence onto a next home. The owner of that house then accused her of trespassing in the middle of the night. She was transported to a police station and charged with trespassing.
While there, she filed a sexual molestation allegation against the owner of the first house, who had initially aided her.
The woman stated that after learning what had occurred, the owner of the second residence requested that the unauthorised entry charge be withdrawn, but police stated that it was a criminal violation and that the charge could not be dropped.
Later, a police lieutenant colonel approached her and said he could assist her. He allegedly sought 100,000 baht in exchange for not prosecuting the case. She didn’t have that much money, so she bargained it down to 10,000 baht. She claimed that the cop then demanded to have sex with her.
Mr. Kanthat afterwards escorted her to the Sao Hai police station in Saraburi province to submit an initial complaint against the accused officer.
The accused lieutenant colonel was a police inspector assigned to administrative work at Muang police station before being transferred to help at Sao Hai police station, according to Pol Maj Gen Wichit Boonchinnawutthikul, chief of Saraburi police, who also questioned the victim on Tuesday.
The accused officer had previously been the target of an internal fact-finding investigation for alleged fraud. The investigation panel found him guilty and recommended his dismissal from the force. When the woman submitted her complaint, a decision was pending.
Pol Maj Gen Wichit promised the woman justice and stated that no officer who did harm to the police force would be protected.
According to Khaosod Online, Pol Maj Gen Wichit signed an order firing the accused officer after Pol Gen Surachate ordered him to handle the case carefully and fairly.
