A 14-year-old suspect shocked the world by conducting a mass shooting at the Paragon shopping mall on Oct 3.
A 14-year-old boy is consoled by police after being arrested for a shooting rampage at Siam Paragon on Oct 3. Police photo
Teen goes on Paragon shooting rampage
Pathumwan police station had been notified of the shooting at the mall on Rama I Road in Pathumwan district. More shoppers fled in panic after several gunshots were heard on the M floor.
The shooting killed one Thai and two foreign nationals, one Chinese and one from Myanmar, and wounded four people, including a Chinese tourist and a Lao worker.
The shooter was caught with a modified blank gun an hour and a half after the shooting started.
The suspect, apprehended on the third floor of the nearby Siam Kempinski Hotel, was a 14-year-old teenager who looked confused when arrested. The suspect bought his pistol online, according to police.
A psychiatrist said the boy was fully conscious throughout the shooting, though he had partially lost his self-control.
Police filed five charges against the boy: premeditated murder, attempted murder, public shooting, the owning of unauthorised firearms, and carrying unauthorised firearms. The suspect has now received psychiatric treatment at Galya Rajanagarindra Institute.
Three more suspects — two men and a woman — were arrested later for allegedly selling bullets to the suspect.
The case led to not only a wide discussion on family wellness but also illegal gun marketplace raids, in which 1,000 illegal firearms were seized in three operations during the last quarter of the year.
Police officers escort Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn, accused of killing a woman with cyanide in Ratchaburi province, to the Criminal Court on April 26. WASSAYOS NGAMKHAM
Cyanide serial killer’s 8-year spree
Sararat “Aem Cyanide” Rangsiwuthaporn emerged as the country’s latest serial killer.
The case surfaced in the middle of April after the family of one of her alleged victims, Siriporn Khanwong, 32, asked the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) to file charges against Sararat and requested a fresh autopsy on Siriporn’s body.
National Police Chief Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas said Siriporn passed out, and later died, as she released fish into a river to make merit during Songkran in Ban Pong district of Ratchaburi. The first autopsy result said she died of natural causes. However, her family queried the result and sought a second autopsy. A preliminary result by the Police General Hospital’s forensic department revealed Siriporn had cyanide in her bloodstream. Sararat then became a prime suspect as she was the last person seen with Siriporn.
Later, the number of reported victims grew as investigations expanded. Police found 14 deaths were linked to Sararat, while one victim managed to survive. Deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn headed the investigation, which emerged as a serial killing case.
Sararat’s murders took place from 2015 to 2023, with the killings taking place in eight provinces. Her motive was to steal money from her victims, or to free herself from the debts she owed them, as she was a heavy online gambler, said the police.
She mixed cyanide in food and drinks and let her victims die of heart attacks. In one case in Mukdahan in 2020, she allegedly sent “diet pills” to her victim.
After poisoning the victims, the suspect stole their valuables, including mobile phones, to destroy evidence and falsify documents to lure their families into giving her money.
Ms Sararat was charged with 75 offences, including premeditated murder, food poisoning, and falsifying documents.
Praween Chankhlai, also known as ‘Kamnan Nok’ left, surrendered to police on Sept 7 after a close aide killed a highway police officer and injured another at a party at his home on Sept 6. POLICE PHOTO
Fatal dinner with a kamnan
The Sept 6 deadly shooting of Pol Maj Sivakorn Saibua, a highway police officer, at the house of a local influential figure has rocked the police force. It led to an investigation widely seen as a test of its integrity and effectiveness.
The shooting followed an argument over a promotion between Pol Maj Sivakorn, chief of highway police station 1 under the Highway Police Sub-division 2, and Praween “Kamnan Nok” Chankhlai, who hosted a party at his home in Nakhon Pathom.
The gunman was Thananchai Manmak, 45, Mr Praween’s aide, who fled along with the kamnan that night. Pol Lt Col Wasin Panpee, deputy commander of the Highway Police Sub-division 2, who sat next to Pol Maj Sivakorn, was wounded.
Mr Praween, who faced charges of ordering the shooting and attempting to kill, surrendered to police the following day. Thananchai was killed in a gunfight with police who tracked him down in Kanchanaburi.
The case became more complicated when it turned out that more than 20 police were at the party, yet failed to take action or stop the suspects from fleeing the scene. There were also alleged attempts to destroy and hide evidence.
All officers present at the party were investigated for negligence. During the investigation, Pol Col Vachira Yaothaisong, commander of Highway Police sub-division 2 and supervisor of Pol Maj Sivakorn, was found dead at his home in Pathum Thani in an apparent suicide.
Pol Col Vachira, who attended the party, was criticised for failing to protect his subordinate and was believed to have taken his own life out of stress.
As the probe went on, 15 police were charged with malfeasance while the rest were cleared of misconduct, with evidence showing they tried to help the injured. Seven civilians were also indicted in connection with the fatal shooting.
Mr Praween has been remanded in Bangkok Remand Prison since his arrest.
The scandal has prompted the Central Investigation Bureau, which oversees the highway police, to overhaul the unit including tackling so-called sticker bribery that was thrust into the spotlight earlier in the year.
Wasawat Mukurasakul, aka ‘Inspector Sua’, has fled overseas.
Actress, Chuvit reveal 2 online gambling networks
This year saw a massive nationwide crackdown on online illegal gambling sites spearheaded by the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) resulting in the high-profile bust of the macau888 website and another one linked to “Inspector Sua”.
Macau888 came onto police radar after 32-year-old actress Arisara Thongborisut exposed its activities and those involved in a Facebook post in January. The network was allegedly run by “four brothers”, one of whom was Chaiwat “Benz Daemon” Kachornboonthaworn, the actress’ ex-boyfriend.
The CCIB found that six URLs were linked to macau888 with more than 5.5 billion baht in circulation. A total of 55 warrants were approved for the arrest of those implicated including the “four brothers”.
Forty-six people were apprehended and charged with engaging in illegal gambling and money laundering and assets worth several billion baht were seized for examination.
A nightspot in Bangkok which was allegedly used to launder the ill-gotten money was closed for 30 days after narcotic drugs were found on the premises.
As the macau888 investigation captured public attention, former politician and massage parlour owner Chuvit Kamolvisit dropped a bombshell accusing a police officer of using his connections to run a gambling network with more than 10 billion baht in circulation — bigger than the macau888 network.
The officer was revealed to be Pol Lt Col Wasawat Mukarasakul, known as “Inspector Sua”, who was attached to the public works division under the Office of Logistics of the Royal Thai Police.
His network was subsequently found to be behind one of the country’s largest gambling operations with more than 60 firms involved and revenue estimated to exceed 10 billion baht last year. Seven of these firms allegedly provided gambling services and ran online gambling sites.
In dismantling the network, more than 60 locations in the six provinces of Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, Chon Buri and Chanthaburi were raided, six people were arrested and assets worth more than 1.4 billion baht were confiscated for examination.
Police are coordinating with authorities in other countries in tracking down “Inspector Sua”, who fled overseas.
Deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, right, was not pleased when police searched his properties in Bangkok over suspected ties to online gambling websites. POLICE PHOTO
Big Joke’s house is raided
The high-profile search of the rented house of deputy national police chief, Pol Gen Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, just before the appointment of a new police chief fuelled rumours about a rift and rivalry between two strong contenders.
The operation involved dozens of officers from the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau and commando police under the Central Investigation Bureau who were gathering evidence for an expanded investigation into online illegal gambling networks.
Pol Gen Surachate’s subordinates were implicated in the illegal activities and their houses, including Pol Gen Surachate’s, were among the targets in Bangkok and five provinces — Phetchaburi, Samut Prakan, Khon Kaen, Udon Thani and Saraburi.
The search team insisted they did not come to arrest the senior officer but look for evidence. In the latest development, eight of Pol Gen Surachate’s subordinates have been indicted.
While the house search was planned by the cyber crime police while looking into suspicious activities of Pol Gen Surachate’s subordinates, its timing led many to question the motive behind it.
Some speculated it was a calculated move to discredit Pol Gen Surachate ahead of the police chief appointment and tip the scales in favour of Pol Gen Torsak Sukvimol, another strong contender for the top post.
It was reported Pol Gen Torsak and Pol Gen Surachate were not on good terms in the wake of the fatal shooting at the house of Praween “Kamnan Nok” Chankhlai in Nakhon Pathom province on Sept 6.
Pol Gen Surachate’s investigation team put pressure on Pol Col Vachira Yaothaisong, commander of Highway Police sub-division 2, who shot himself dead, and also allegedly tried to imply Pol Col Vachira’s death was set up. Pol Col Vachira was close to Pol Gen Torsak.
Soon after Pol Gen Torsak was named the new police chief by the Police Commission, a photo of the pair shaking hands circulated on social media to show both had reached a truce.
However, observers are sceptical and believe the rift is far from over. Although Pol Gen Torsk’s mandatory retirement is due in September next year, the rift could resurface due to underlying tensions and divisions within the police force.