Police have arrested a former soldier who allegedly claimed to be a Grab taxi driver then raped his 15-year-old customer under Krung Thon Bridge in Bangkok almost three weeks ago.
The suspect, Wissanu Chanyoy, 34, was apprehended on Thursday at a petrol station on Charan Sanitwong Road in Bang Phlat district, according to a press briefing by the Metropolitan Police Bureau on Friday.
Mr Wissanu, a former sergeant major 1st class, was dismissed from military service at the Antiaircraft Artillery Division last year, according to Pol Maj Gen Senit Samransamruamkij, chief of the Metropolitan Police Division 1.
That came after a warrant for his arrest in another rape case in Nonthaburi was issued last September. The victim was said to be a minor. Mr Wissana had been on the run ever since.
Pol Maj Gen Senit told media that police acted after receiving a complaint on Aug 19 by the parents of the 15-year-old regarding the alleged assault.
The man duped the girl into believing he was a Grab driver and drove to an underpass where vehicles can make U-turns on the Phra Nakhon side under Krung Thon Bridge, where the victim was attacked inside the car, he said.
The suspect punched her several times in a bid to subdue her before raping her, Pol Maj Gen Senit said.
The suspect is believed to have committed several similar offences in the past, the officer said.
Mr Wissanu told police he would often drive to bus stops near schools and use a messaging app called Bee Talk to scan for prey nearby, according to Pol Maj Gen Senit.
Following a brief chat with one of his intended victims, he would show up in person claiming to be a Grab driver and offer them a lift, the officer said.
He would then drop them off and pass on his phone number, suggesting they call him whenever they needed a taxi service.
Those who took the bait were driven to quiet places where he attacked and raped them before dropping them close to their originally desired destination.
Grab Thailand issued a statement on Friday saying the suspect was not a Grab driver. It urged passengers not to contact its drivers directly but use the app.
Neither the driver nor the girl used the Grab taxi mobile application, the company said.The company also urged passengers not to contact drivers directly as the Grab app helps screen drivers.
The press release also said Grab always focuses on the safety of passengers. The company has installed an emergency button on its app. When passengers feel threatened, they can press the button and police will receive an alert. Furthermore, the passengers can input the phone numbers of three people who they want contacted to also alert them when this button is pressed.
The statement said the company continues to provide a good, safe service for all passengers.