Nakhon Si Thammarat police have captured a drug case suspect who escaped from the Thung Yai Police Station detention room, cornering him at a hut in a rubber plantation. Authorities are also prosecuting another individual who provided shelter. The suspect claimed that the police officer himself encouraged the escape, declaring, “Don’t blame me, my friend was the one who invited me, which caused trouble for both of us and we must bear responsibility.”
The case involves Police Sergeant Major Theerawat Meesichan, a duty officer at Thung Yai Police Station, Nakhon Si Thammarat, who facilitated the escape of a drug suspect, Mr. Ekkalak, or "Tu" Dechapalit, charged with distributing methamphetamine (category 1 narcotic). After the incident last Saturday, Sergeant Major Theerawat was summoned by Police Colonel Pongpichan Chayanonphiriya, the station chief, and interrogated before a court warrant was issued for his arrest. He was immediately detained. The duty officer claimed to be friends with the suspect and said he was deceived into taking him to visit his wife and child one last time before prison. Meanwhile, Police Major General Pornchai Khajornklin, Acting Commander of the Nakhon Si Thammarat Provincial Police, ordered his suspension and set up a fact-finding committee that will lead to disciplinary and criminal proceedings.
In the latest update this morning, 12 January 2026, Police Major General Pornchai Khajornklin, Acting Commander of Nakhon Si Thammarat Provincial Police, ordered investigators to track down Mr. Ekkalak, or "Tu," and found him hiding in a hut at a rubber plantation on a mountain in Khao Phanom district, Krabi province. Police apprehended him there and also arrested a man who had provided him shelter. This man claimed he was unaware of Mr. Ekkalak's fugitive status and said he had allowed him to stay the previous day without knowing he was evading the police.
Mr. Ekkalak, or "Tu," stated that he did not invite Sergeant Major Theerawat, known as Sergeant Tee, to his home; rather, Sergeant Tee invited him. When asked if he wanted to go, he agreed, so they went together. He said he had no intention to escape and denied being friends with the sergeant, saying they only knew each other and that he also knew the sergeant's uncle. He insisted he was not trying to flee but was waiting for the deputy commander to pick him up. He had no phone to contact anyone, emphasizing, “Don’t blame me, because my friend was the one who invited me, which caused me to be guilty as well.” Later, police took him to meet with Police Major General Pornchai Khajornklin for a direct interrogation.
Afterward, Police Major General Pornchai Khajornklin stated that the facts of the incident from Saturday, 10 January, showed the police officer did not flee but reported to his superior at the station. He was then processed legally as he was the responsible official. The escaped suspect was recaptured within one day, and the police were commended for their efficient work in resolving the issue and quickly bringing the suspect back into custody.