Suspect Arrested After Two-Year Search for Illegal Gun Sales in Phuket

A 29-year-old man has been caught in Phuket after a two-year-long search concerning his role in modifying and selling guns on Facebook. The man, known as Kittiphon or Tom, evaded arrest by moving around, from Phang Nga to Phuket.

Officers from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) and the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) arrested Kittiphon on August 3, in front of a house he rented in Ratsada. He had been on the run since a warrant for his arrest was issued by the Phang Nga Provincial Court on September 8, 2022.

Kittiphon came under suspicion when police traced weapons used by teenagers in northeastern Thailand back to him. The modified guns, originally blank-firing, were being sold through Facebook livestreams. This initiated an inquiry that led the police to a house in Tambon Na Toei, a district in Phang Nga province. The police recovered over 100 weapons, ammunition, and fake guns during the investigation.

Sensing the police closing in, Kittiphon fled from the location before a thorough search could be conducted. Based on the evidence found at the crime scene, the Thai Mueang Police Station issued an arrest warrant, but Kittiphon had already vanished.

The CSD Division 5 officers later located Kittiphon in his rented house in Ratsada and effectively arrested him. He was then taken to Thai Mueang Police Station for further legal action.

According to the CIB report, Kittiphon pleaded guilty to all charges during initial questioning. He disclosed that he, along with a partner, had altered the blank-firing guns to shoot live bullets and had sold about 300 of these illegal weapons through social media. After the police investigation, both Kittiphon and his partner stopped their unlawful activities.

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-- 2024-08-06

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