MUKDAHAN: An escaped Uighur detainee was captured at a rubber plantation on Saturday while a hunt continued for the last three still at large out of seven who fled an immigration detention centre on Tuesday.
Officers from several agencies and a sniffer dog were dispatched to the plantation behind Nong Hoi village in tambon Bang Sai Yai in Muang district after local residents reported a man was staying at makeshift shelter on the plantation.
The officers found traces of a man’s footprints under the shelter and nearby. They tracked the footprints and found Akhal Zusud, 37, hiding nearby.
The arrest brought the number of escaped detainees captured to four, said Pol Col Chaiyaporn Pongsak, chief of Muang district police.
One detainee was caught shortly after he escaped and two others were recaptured on Wednesday in a village in this northeastern province.
Seven Muslim Uighur detainees fled on Tuesday night after an immigration policeman left their cell unlocked. Pol Col Komen Suphab, who is in charge of the immigration office in Mukdahan, was later transferred.
Authorities expect the remaining three fugitives will be caught soon. Leaflets with pictures of the wanted men have been distributed to many communities, said Pol Col Chaiyaporn.
Informants who provide clues leading to the men’s arrests would be eligible for cash rewards of 10,000 baht each, he said.
Officers and a sniffer dog join in the search for the Uighur escapee at a plantation in Mukdahan on Saturday. (Photo by Chuchart Prapakorn)