The Indonesian National Police arrested Chaoealit Thongduang, a Thai citizen fugitive from the Thai authorities, in the Badung area of Bali on Thursday, May 30, 2024.
Chaowalit Thongduang escaped from prison by killing a Thai police officer while being taken to the hospital for dental treatment. Not only that, he also shot members of the judiciary.
Director of Narcotics at the Criminal Investigation Unit of the National Police Brigadier General Mukti Juharsa said that before running to Indonesia, Chaowalit went to India but left again. Chaowalit then hid in Indonesia because his face looked more like an Indonesian.
“Because his face in India is not the same as his face. He looks like an Indonesian face. That’s why he went to Indonesia under the name Sulaiman,” said Mukti.
This is how the arrest of the Thai fugitive:
This arrest began with a red notice control from the Royal Thai Police issued on February 16, 2024, on behalf of Chaowalit Thongduang alias Pang Na-Node.
Based on the red notice, the joint team conducted an investigation, coordinated in the region, and searched.
The fugitive is known to have entered Indonesia on December 8, 2023, through Thai sea waters using a 200pk speed boat, which took 17 hours to travel. He was assisted by an Indonesian citizen (WNI) with the initials ES.
During his escape and hiding in Indonesia, Chaowalit allegedly pretended to be mute to cover up his inability to speak Indonesian.
Chaowalit moved from place to place in Medan City and changed partners by getting acquainted on social media.
In mid-May 2024, he moved to Bali with a woman named S for a vacation. Chaowalit was finally arrested on May 30, 2024.
Now, the police are also still investigating Chaowalit’s alleged connection with the fugitive kingpin of the international drug trafficking syndicate from Indonesia, Fredy Pratama. However, the police confirmed that they have cooperated with the Thai police to help arrest Fredy Pratama.
Police have sniffed out Fredy’s current whereabouts in an area on the border of Thailand and Burma. A joint police team will soon fly to Thailand to continue the search for Fredy.
