Thai fugitive’s train escape ends with Kathu condo arrest

A daring train escape in Nakhon Si Thammarat ended in the capture of a fugitive in Phuket.

On the run after fleeing police custody, the fugitive, identified as Ekkachai, was finally nabbed at a swanky condo on Tuesday, October 15, bringing a thrilling two-week manhunt to a close.

Ekkachai, originally detained on five arrest warrants for property crimes in Hat Yai, pulled off a jaw-dropping escape on October 3. He was being transported by train under the watchful eye of Region 9 Police when he asked to use the toilet.

Seizing the opportunity, he jumped from the moving train in Ron Phibun district, Nakhon Si Thammarat, and vanished into thin air.

The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), through its Crime Suppression Division (CSD), revealed in a report yesterday, October 17 that Ekkachai contacted his girlfriend after his escape, tricking her into picking him up. But in a shocking twist, he stole her car and fled to Baan Na San district, leaving her to file a complaint. This led to yet another arrest warrant being issued.

Police finally tracked him down to the dcondo Creek building in Phuket’s Kathu area, where CSD Division 5 officers swooped in and made the arrest.

Ekkachai has since been returned to Ron Phibun Police Station, where he faces further legal proceedings, reported Phuket News.

In related news, police apprehended a fugitive on the island of Koh Samui who had been evading capture for 19 years. The 47 year old suspect was only one year away from the statute of limitations expiring for his crimes.

Police, under the direction of Lieutenant General Jiraphop Phuridech, Commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), and led by Major General Montri Theskhan, Colonel Phongpanot Chukaew, and Lieutenant Colonel Thanakorn Uchanarasamee, executed the arrest.

In other news, Thai and South Korean officials collaborated to apprehend a South Korean fugitive involved in drug-related crimes.

The Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) and the National Police Agency of South Korea arrested the 44 year old suspect at a hotel in Bang Lamung on October 3.