In Kamphaeng Phet, developments continue regarding a man suffering from delusions who held his wife at knifepoint inside a convenience store, complaining that no one paid attention to him. Police stormed in, successfully rescued the hostage, and took the suspect into custody for questioning. He remains incoherent and loudly disruptive in the detention room. Authorities are waiting for him to calm down before filing charges.
The latest update, on 6 Sept 2026 at 12:00 at Khlong Lan Police Station, Kamphaeng Phet province: After police subdued Mr. Wutthikrai, 30, who had violently held his wife, Ms. Duanchai, 20, hostage at knifepoint outside a convenience store in the Khlong Lan market area, causing public alarm, officers mobilized to negotiate and successfully tackled the suspect, safely rescuing the hostage.
Mr. Wutthikrai was then placed in custody, but remained uncontrollable and incoherent, resisting police questioning. Earlier in the morning, police escorted Ms. Duanchai to the scene to conduct a preliminary investigation of the incident.
Ms. Duanchai recounted that on the day of the incident during the daytime, she was out working. Upon returning home, she saw Mr. Wutthikrai shouting loudly until the village head intervened to calm him. Later that evening, he became disruptive again and lost consciousness, leading police to take him to the Khlong Lan Development Police Post.
After discussions, he paced around the police post and the nearby traffic light intersection. Suddenly, he grabbed her, held her at knifepoint, and dragged her to the convenience store. Staff fled in panic, leaving the store empty. She was held at knifepoint at the door until police arrived. Her husband complained that no one cared about him, that when his motorcycle crashed no one helped, asking only about the motorcycle and not him. He said he couldn’t return home to Korat, accusing her of staying at home without working.
They have been together for eight years without children and work as general laborers. There have been occasional family disputes. Ms. Duanchai does not wish to press charges against her husband and will leave the matter to the law.
Mr. Supachai Absuwan, village head of Ban Moma Luen, Village 15, Khlong Lan Phatthana Subdistrict, said this was the second such incident. In the evening, police at the Khlong Lan checkpoint alerted him to a disturbed person outside a house. He went to talk and mediate until the man calmed down and agreed to go home. However, he did not want to enter his house and preferred to go with police to calm down, asking his wife to accompany him. They then took the police patrol car together with two officers and his wife.
While taking him to calm down at the police station, officers were called to another dispute near Khlong Lan Community School. During that time, Mr. Wutthikrai, the suspect, became delusional, fearing police would kill him. He jumped out and hid in a house. Police tracked and arrested him, bringing him back to the Khlong Lan checkpoint. Near the bridge before the checkpoint, he panicked again upon seeing a six-wheeled truck parked, fearing police would kill and dump him in the truck. He jumped out and paced around the police post until he grabbed his wife at knifepoint.
The village head added that earlier in the day, conversations with the man went well, but in the evening he became stressed and disruptive again outside the house. It is unknown when he took a kitchen knife with him into the police vehicle.
Initially, Police Lieutenant Colonel Phanupong Utamad, deputy investigator of Khlong Lan Police Station and case officer, announced charges of unlawful detention and carrying a knife against the suspect, pending his recovery from the current delirious state.