South Thailand: Woman evading arrest as a nun caught

Thai police apprehended a woman who had been evading arrest by becoming a nun in Nakhon Si Thammarat over the past ten months. Believing she had escaped justice, the woman was finally captured following a police investigation.

Law enforcement officers from the Anti-Human Trafficking Division, in cooperation with local police units from Damnoen Saduak in Ratchaburi and Tha Sala in Nakhon Si Thammarat, executed the arrest yesterday. Porntip was wanted under an arrest warrant issued by the Ratchaburi Provincial Court on August 11 last year for theft of employer’s property after allegedly stealing assets worth 100,000 baht from her employer in Damnoen Saduak.

The incident that led to the arrest began when 38 year old Porntip committed the theft and subsequently fled Ratchaburi. She took refuge in Nakhon Si Thammarat, where she was ordained as a nun at a local temple, assuming this would shield her from law enforcement.

However, her actions did not go unnoticed. The police had been tracking her movements, leading to an arrest warrant that included a 10,000 baht bounty for information leading to her capture.

Upon identifying her location, officers proceeded to the temple where Porntip had been residing. They presented the arrest warrant and detained her following standard legal procedures. The arrest was part of the enforcement of the Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance Act of 2022.

Porntip had been on the run for almost a year, living in disguise as a nun. Despite her efforts to avoid detection, the police’s persistent investigation eventually pinpointed her whereabouts, culminating in her arrest. Following her capture, Porntip was taken to the local police station for the formal recording of her arrest.

She was then transferred into the custody of the investigative team from Damnoen Saduak, Ratchaburi, to face the legal proceedings for the theft charge, reported KhaoSod.

“We have been tracking her for nearly ten months, and her arrest was a result of continuous surveillance and cooperation among various police units.”