Drug addicted and mentally ill Thai man stabs police officer to death

A drug addicted and mentally ill Thai man went on a rampage and stabbed a Thai police officer to death in the northeastern province of Nakhon Panom.

The deceased officer, police Lieutenant Itsarawut Phonrat, of the That Panom Police Station, was called to check on a Thai man, 49 year old Arnudate Chaipanya, in the Um Mao district of Nakhon Panom.

Arnudate had a long history of drug use that had affected his mental health. Locals in the area reported that he was being treated, but had not been taking his medication as prescribed, which had caused him to go on the rampage several times before.

The police Itsarawut knew Arnudate quite well and had successfully controlled him many times before, so he went to the scene alone, believing he could control the situation.

Arnudate got out of control, so Itsarawut called the team for help. While waiting for more officers to arrive, Arnudate approached him and a physical altercation ensued. Arnudate stabbed Itsarawut several times until the police officer died at the scene.

Reinforcement later arrived at the scene and witnessed the tragedy. They managed to arrest Arnudate and charged him with intentional murder. The charge will result in a death penalty, life imprisonment or imprisonment from 15 to 20 years under Section 288 of the Criminal Law.

Locals in the area demanded that the police and relevant authorities take the drug problem seriously, as the police officer was not the first victim of drug-related violence in the past month. A nine year old boy recently lost his life after being attacked by a drug addict. His funeral ended the day before the officer’s death.

Another victim lost his life to drug addicted man on December 12 when he intervened in a dispute between the drug accited murderer and his wife at a local grocery store in the Isaan province of Chaiyaphum.