Authorities have apprehended the suspect in the brutal murder of a female hotel employee in Hua Hin, found curled up in grass near the railway tracks. Initially, he gave incoherent statements and is under intensive interrogation.
In the case where a female hotel employee was attacked by a man who climbed over the counter while she was asleep due to illness, the incident happened inside a hotel in Hua Hin District, Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, at approximately 03:15 on 19 Jan. Investigators reviewed the hotel's CCTV footage and saw a man about 160-180 cm tall, dark-skinned, wearing a black jacket, white pants, and orange shoes, circling the counter multiple times before the incident. When he saw the employee asleep, he climbed over the counter and struck her head several times with an iron rod, then fled with two mobile phones and the victim's black bag.
Police matched this information against the government photo database and identified the suspect as Mr. Rattikan Yingyod, 36, who has a prior criminal record for assault and rape. Investigators at Hua Hin Police Station gathered evidence and obtained an arrest warrant from Hua Hin Provincial Court, number J.15/2569, dated 19 Jan 2026 at 22:00, to detain Mr. Rattikan Yingyod for prosecution as previously reported.
Most recently, on 20 Jan 2026, it was reported that authorities arrested Mr. Rattikan at approximately 15:51 while he was curled up in grass about 300 meters from the railway walkway.
During arrest, the suspect resisted slightly and claimed he had been hiding there since the previous night. Initial questioning revealed that Mr. Rattikan gave inconsistent statements but initially said he had been sleeping under a nearby bridge and had not gone anywhere. Authorities are continuing to hold him for further interrogation.
The key lead leading to the suspect's capture began with discovery of the clothes he wore during the crime, discarded under a bridge beside the railway. Officers then conducted on-foot searches and reviewed nearby CCTV footage to trace the suspect's escape route, which ultimately led to his arrest.
Previously, Pol Maj Gen Theeradej Thammasuthi, Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and deputy spokesperson of the Royal Thai Police, revealed that Police Chief Pol Gen Kittirat Punpetch ordered the 7th Provincial Police Region and the Crime Suppression Division of the Central Investigation Bureau to urgently pursue and arrest the suspect in the robbery-murder of the Hua Hin hotel employee on the early morning of 19 Jan 2026. The incident is considered a serious societal threat, especially occurring in a major tourist area, potentially impacting the country’s tourism image, thus necessitating swift prosecution.