Inmate escapes Chumphon prison, manhunt underway

Photo courtesy of KhaoSod

By Puntid Tantivangphaisal

An inmate serving a prison term for a drug-related offence has escaped from Huai Klung temporary prison in Wang Tako subdistrict, Lang Suan district, Chumphon province, sparking a search operation. The escape occurred around 3pm, yesterday, January 20, and seven hours later, the fugitive remains at large.

Prison officials, alongside police from the Lang Suan Police Station, have mobilised to locate the escapee but have yet to make any progress. Concurrently, Police Colonel Suphanat Rattanapirom, detective inspector of the Chumphon police, has led an investigative team to map out potential escape routes and monitor the homes of the inmate’s relatives.

Despite efforts to gather more information, prison management has declined to comment on the specifics of the escape. However, it has been revealed to reporters that the escapee is a male inmate named Chaowapat. Further details on the escape and the ongoing manhunt will be reported as they become available, reported KhaoSod.

A high-profile prison escape case is that of Chaowalit Thongduang who escaped while receiving treatment at a hospital in Nakhon Si Thammarat. The Department of Corrections initially offered a 100,000 baht reward for information leading to his capture, later increasing it to 1 million baht. Chaowalit was eventually arrested in Indonesia in May last year.