Crime Manhunt Underway After Fatal Shooting in Dispute Over Rubber Plantation in Surat Thani

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture courtesy of Daily News.

 

Police in Surat Thani province are hunting a 39-year-old man who allegedly shot and killed his cousin in a rubber plantation following a land dispute fuelled by a misunderstanding.

 

The shooting occurred in Moo 5, Ban Don Yuang village, Banna subdistrict, Ban Na Doem district. Authorities say the suspect, identified as Mr. Chatupol, known by the nickname “Jack”, pulled out a firearm and opened fire on his cousin, Mr. Wasan aged 38, believing the victim was illegally cutting trees on his land.

 

On the evening of 22 July, police from Ban Na Doem Police Station, led by Deputy Inspector Pol. Lt. Supachai Sukkaew, along with rescue workers from the Kuson Sattha Foundation, responded to the scene. The victim’s body was found with multiple gunshot wounds to the head. His body was sent for autopsy as part of the legal process.

 

Investigators revealed that the motive stemmed from a long-standing inheritance dispute. Both men had been allowed by their late grandmother to work separate sections of the plantation, though legal ownership had never been formally transferred. The suspect is believed to have flown into a rage after mistakenly thinking his cousin had felled rubber trees encroaching on his portion of the land.

 

Immediately after the shooting, the suspect fled on a motorcycle and remains at large. Police are currently conducting a manhunt and have vowed to bring him to justice.

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Daily News 2025-07-24