Police puzzled by multiple monikers
PHUKET TOWN: Police have been trying to figure out whether a man they arrested on Monday is mad, or just crazy like a fox. Pol Lt Prasaan Tovorn of Phuket Town Police Station explained to the Gazette that he and other motorbike police officers were on patrol in Soi Imjit 1 in the early hours of Monday morning when the man drew their attention because of his odd behavior. Lt Prasaan said, “We saw him standing beside a black Honda Wave motorcycle and behaving strangely. He was tall, thin, shabbily dressed, had shoulder-length hair and was between 25 and 30 years old. “He spent about five minutes bobbing up and down, checking the motorbike for something.” Lt Prasaan explained that after watching the man from a distance for a while, the officers approached him and asked for his name. Smiling at them, he told them that he had many names, which he then started to recite. Noting that the motorcycle had been hot-wired, the officers decided to take the man to Phuket Town Police Station for questioning. At the station, they checked the motorbike’s registration and discovered that it belonged to Sangjan Butkala, 20, who lives in Soi Imjit 1. They then called K. Sangjan to ask if she knew the man had her motorcycle. She stepped outside her house and discovered that it was missing. Throughout questioning, the man continued to claim he had at least 10 names. He is being held on suspicion of stealing K. Sangjan’s motorbike, which has now been seized as evidence. However, the police are waiting for a medical opinion on the man’s mental state before pressing charges.
