A Myanmar arms trader who shot a police sergeant at Mae Sot police station, seriously wounding him during an undercover illegal gun purchase, fled across the border to his hometown, which is controlled by the KNLA. Thai authorities coordinated the handover of the suspect to bring him back for legal prosecution.
At 14:00 on 22 Jan 2026 GMT+7, reporters reported that during an undercover operation to buy illegal guns from two Myanmar men, one of the suspects shot Police Sergeant Major Seksan Kangka, a patrol unit commander at Mae Sot police station, piercing his abdomen and causing serious injury. Police organized blood donations, which helped save his life.
Currently, police have arrested Nai Lin Aung, a 21-year-old Myanmar national without a surname, after more than 24 hours of pursuit. Soldiers, police, and local administrative officers in Mae Sot jointly took custody of the suspect, who had fled across the Moei River into Myanmar’s Minlapan area, controlled by the KNLA. The KNLA commander detained him.
Thai authorities coordinated with Myanmar counterparts and arranged to hand over the suspect at the natural crossing point at Ban Mae Kon Ken, Mahawan Subdistrict, Mae Sot District, Tak Province. This cooperation was facilitated by the Thai-Myanmar Local Border Committee (TBC) to assist in tracking the suspect.
After receiving the suspects back, both were brought for a crime reenactment based on their confessions at the scene beside a convenience store in Mae Gu Subdistrict, Mae Sot District, Tak Province.
At the scene, the suspects were taken off the vehicle one by one and made to mount a motorcycle. Min So So, 23, without a surname, was the driver, and Nai Lin Aung, 21, the shooter, was the passenger.
The incident began when the suspects presented firearms to the police. Police identified themselves and moved to arrest them. Upon seeing this, Min So So jumped off the motorcycle and was immediately captured by pursuing officers. Nai Lin Aung remained seated on the bike. Sergeant Major Seksan grabbed him from behind, locking him, but the suspect twisted and fired one shot into Sergeant Major Seksan’s abdomen. He then removed his helmet, bent down, ran into an alley, turned the gun back toward the scene, and fled into nearby fields and a sugarcane forest. There, he discarded his clothes and the gun used in the shooting, hid in darkness, and crossed the Moei River into Myanmar via a natural route.
Police Major General Paisan Nanta, commander of Tak Provincial Police, led a meeting to summarize the incident after the reenactment was completed, with participation from Police Colonel Rang Daodung, superintendent of Mae Sot police station, and other involved officers.
The suspect was charged with attempted murder of an officer performing official duties, resisting and obstructing an officer with a firearm, unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition, carrying a firearm into a community and public area, and illegal entry into the kingdom as a foreign national. He was then brought to Mae Sot Provincial Court for legal proceedings.