Bangkok: Police surrounded and apprehended a man who used a knife to hold his female friend hostage; he is expected to be remanded in custody. A tense situation unfolded in the middle of the night when a man held his female friend hostage at a knife in front of a convenience store in the Lat Phrao area. Police cordoned off the area and spent over an hour negotiating with him before he surrendered. He has a prior criminal record for snatching gold jewelry. He is scheduled to be remanded in custody tomorrow.
According to Thai News Agency, the incident occurred at 1:40 AM in front of a convenience store on Soi Ladprao 101, Intersection 29, Khlong Chan Subdistrict, Bang Kapi District. At the scene, a stout man wearing a black short-sleeved shirt and long jeans was found holding a woman wearing a red shirt hostage, with a sharp knife in his hand. Ladprao Police Station officers cordoned off the area for safety and contacted the suspect's relatives to negotiate a settlement. After approximately one hour, the hostage was released. Siam Ruamjai Rescue Unit then rushed to assist the hostage, later identified as Ms. Penporn, 31 years old. She had bruises on her neck and was weak, and was taken to a nearby hospital. The suspect, identified as Mr. Kraiwit, 28 years old, was apprehended along with the knife used in the incident and taken to Ladprao Police Station for questioning.
Pol. Col. Thanaphan Phadungkan, Superintendent of Lat Phrao Police Station, revealed that the perpetrator and the victim were friends. Before the incident, they had gone to a convenience store together. The perpetrator then used a knife, which he always carried, to threaten his friend by the neck because he saw the police and feared being prosecuted for the robbery of a Hong Kong woman's gold jewelry in the Pathumwan Police Station area on February 25th. During the incident, police had to contact the perpetrator's mother to help persuade him to surrender. He confessed to the crime and also admitted to robbing the Hong Kong woman's gold jewelry, claiming he sold it to buy drugs. A background check revealed that he has committed crimes in several areas and was previously prosecuted in 2019 for drug offenses in the Huai Khwang Police Station area. After serving his sentence, he committed robberies in the Lumpini and Pathumwan Police Station areas.
The reason he chose the city center was because he knew the routes well from driving for a Japanese businessman. He also claimed that his monthly salary of 18,000 baht was insufficient, so he committed the crimes multiple times. Initially, police charged him with unlawful detention, psychological intimidation, possession of a knife, and carrying a knife in a city, village, or public place without reasonable cause. Tomorrow at 9:00 AM, he will be taken to the Criminal Court to request a remand order.