Handcuffed Thai car thief escapes from police station in Chiang Rai

Officers are set to rearrest a Thai car thief two days after the suspect successfully escaped from Mueang Chiang Rai Police Station in northern Thailand despite being handcuffed.

The thief stole a black Mitsubishi from a Thai woman in the northern province of Chiang Rai on January 13. He even posted a video of himself and the stolen car on his TikTok account as if he were the rightful owner of the car.

Mueang Chiang Rai Police Station officers initially identified the thief as a Burmese man named Jalor and managed to arrest him on Friday, January 19. Jalor was detained at the police station waiting for a court trial. Police later handcuffed Jalor and took him from his cell for questioning at about 6pm that day.

However, the interrogation was interrupted by a complaining local. The interviewing officer asked a colleague to take Jalor to an interrogation room while he listened to the local’s complaint. After receiving the complaint, the officer went to the room to question Jalor only to find he had disappeared and the room was empty.

Police checked the CCTV camera and discovered that Jalor had left the police station in handcuffs.

Officers investigated the case further and discovered that they misidentified the suspect. Jalor was not a Burmese man at all, he was a Thai man identified as 27 year old Dit Cha-ue. He had been previously arrested twice for thefts by Mae Yao and Phaya Mengrai Police Station in the province.

Escaped thief

Police uncovered that Dit stole a motorcycle parked 1 kilometre away from the police station and made his way to the Baan Huay Mae Sai Community, approximately a 30-minute ride from the station. Despite ongoing drone searches by officers, Dit remains at large.

A resident of the community, a 20 year old named A, reported to the police that he encountered Dit while working on his rubber plantation. Despite appearing tired, Dit was no longer in handcuffs. Dit greeted A by inquiring about the quantity of rubber latex he could harvest.

A recounted responding to Dit’s query and becoming alert as Dit seemed poised to produce a knife. Swiftly, A left the scene. According to A, Dit entered the forest near his plantation, but the exact direction was unknown to him.

Chiang Rai Provincial Police who supervise the Mueang Chiang Rai Police Station assured the public that officers would arrest Dit within two days. A special committee will be set up to question Mueang Chiang Rai Police Station officers about their mistakes and recklessness leading to the suspect’s escape.