6 million baht lottery winner goes on drug-fuelled rampage, tries to burn down house

A man who won a six million baht lottery prize in June is now in police custody in Sisaket, northeastern Thailand. His mother reported to police that “he’s become a berserk drug addict”.

Police told Thai media that 56 year old Kom Poka called police to arrest her 32 year old son Chainarong in Sisaket after he went on a drug-addled rampage and tried to burn down their house. The blaze ended up being put out with the help of relatives and neighbours.

Chainarong was arrested with 20 methamphetamine tablets and his urine test came up positive for substance abuse. He told police that he acted under the influence of the drugs and was now sorry for what he had done. Kom says her son was a labourer at a Bangkok construction site when he won the lottery last June.

When returning home from Bangkok he kept all the money for himself, buying a pickup and other goods, but he also became addicted to drugs and, according to his mother, frittered away most of the 6 million baht. There was now less than 200,000 baht left out of the total winnings.

SOURCE: The Chiang Rai Times | PPTV Online