Moo-ving in on trouble: SAO official nabbed for stealing 50 cows

Police arrested a member of the Sub-district Administrative Office (SAO) in the northern province of Mae Hong Son for stealing 50 cows and buffaloes from locals and selling them at a slaughterhouse.

More than 10 residents in the Mae Sariang district of Mae Hong Son province sought help from officers at Mae Sariang Police Station after their livestock was stolen. Local agriculturists did not have security cameras at home, which allowed the thieves to evade arrest easily.

A thorough investigation revealed that the suspect was a 35 year old SAO official named Anantachai. Officers found the suspect selling stolen cows and buffaloes to a slaughterhouse both within and outside the province.

Police closely monitored Anantachai and eventually arrested him yesterday, October 2, while he was driving his pickup along the road by the Huay Walk Irrigation Canal in the Mae Yuam sub-district.

According to police, Anantachai was not originally from the Mae Sariang district. He moved from another area but gained the trust and confidence of many locals as he was selected as an SAO official.

Anantachai’s crime could result in imprisonment for one to ten years and a fine ranging from 2,000 to 20,000 baht for violating Section 335(12) of the Criminal Law, which pertains to committing theft of agricultural equipment.

After questioning Anantachai, police made known to the press that there were more suspects involved in the crime, adding they would conduct further investigations to arrest them all.

In a related report, a Thai man in the southern province of Narathiwat stole a cow and placed the animal in his sedan, hoping to take it home. However, the thief ended up in a car accident when the cow attempted to escape, causing him to lose control of the vehicle.

The thief claimed that he did not mean to steal the animal but that it blocked the road and made him angry. Police conducted alcohol and drug tests on the man but the results were not made public.

Another animal theft occurred in Phuket in July when a Thai man was caught on a security camera stealing a pet cat from outside its owner’s home.

The man was later arrested and the cat disappeared. He claimed that the cat ran away from him when he arrived home. Some netizens were not convinced by his claim and accused him of eating the animal.