3 Thai police face sack for mistaking woman as drug suspect

Three police officers in the northern province of Chiang Rai may face dismissal after mistakenly identifying a Thai woman as a drug suspect and attempting to arrest her, leading to a violent high-speed chase.

The 22 year old Thai woman filed a complaint with Mae Yao Police Station, stating that a group of men tried to abduct her on the night of September 2. The men, travelling in a white SUV, cut her off while she was riding her motorcycle home.

One of the men exited the vehicle and tried to apprehend her but she managed to flee on her motorcycle. A high-speed chase ensued but the woman was eventually assisted by locals in the area. She maintained that she had no prior conflicts with anyone.

The woman suspected that the group were police officers who mistook her for a criminal and attempted to arrest her. Her suspicions were confirmed when three police officers turned themselves in on September 9.

One of the officers is a Police Senior Sergeant Major from Chiang Rung Police Station. He was formerly an investigating officer with the Chiang Rai Provincial Police.

The officer explained that he and his two colleagues were tracking a drug suspect and mistaking the woman for the target. CCTV footage showed them following the woman and cutting her off.

They decided to abort the operation and leave the scene when they saw locals helping the woman, as they did not want the public to become aware of their covert operation. The three officers also admitted to crashing their SUV into a parked car during the chase.

The Commander of the Chiang Rai Provincial Police, Manop Saenakun, told the media that the officers must be punished severely as their actions were considered to be outside the scope of their duties.

Manop stated that the three could face dismissal if Mae Yao Police Station officers find that their actions violated any serious laws.

Channel 7 reported that the police officers in question attempted to offer the victim 100,000 baht to settle the case but the victim rejected the offer and insisted on pursuing the matter to the fullest extent.

ORIGINAL STORY: Thai woman survives attempted kidnapping in Chiang Rai (video)

A Thai woman issued a warning to other women after a group of men in an SUV stalked and attempted to kidnap her on a road in the northern province of Chiang Rai.

The 22 year old woman shared security camera footage when she sought help from a resident in the Mae Yao district of Chiang Rai province. She posted the footage on the news Facebook page, J-moi v+ (เจ๊ม้อย v+), to gather more clues about the suspects and to issue a warning to others, particularly women travelling alone at night.

The page shared her video on September 3 with a caption that read, “Women travelling alone at night must be aware of this incident. This woman was on her way home when a group of men attempted to abduct her. She decided to abandon her motorcycle and seek help from a resident. Anyone with useful information about the gang can contact the page.”

The video shows the woman leaving her motorcycle and running into a resident’s house. She can be heard saying, “Please help. Those men tried to kidnap me.”

ThaiRath shared another video of the incident, showing the white Toyota Fortuner SUV cutting in front of the victim while she was riding her motorcycle. One man then got out of the car and tried to approach the woman.

Realising the danger, the woman sped away on her motorcycle. The man returned to the SUV, and the driver immediately chased after her. She shouted for help as she fled, and a resident came to her aid, causing the SUV to speed away from the scene.

In an interview with ThaiRath, the victim said the incident took place at around 8pm on Monday, September 2. She explained that she had never had any conflicts with anyone and could not speculate on the gang’s motives. She suggested that the men might have been police officers who mistook her for someone else.

The woman revealed that the high-speed chase lasted for only 30 metres before she was helped by residents.

The victim stated that she filed a complaint at Mae Yao Police Station, and officers assured her that they would bring the gang to justice soon.