A German man who gained social media attention while helping his Thai wife sell grilled chicken has been arrested by police -- after he turned out to be a wanted man, subject to an Interpol red notice.
Things started going wrong for Maximilian Fernsebner, 34, after photos of him helping his wife sell gai yang from a pushcart in front of a housing estate in Pak Chong district of Nakhon Ratchasima were posted online in mid-May, earning him praise from netizens.
Caretaker immigration chief Pol Lt Gen Sompong Chingduang said yesterday that after they ran a routine check on the man, including checking his record through the German embassy, they discovered he was wanted on an Interpol red notice. The suspect had entered Thailand in 2017 before the notice was issued.
He was suspected of selling illicit drugs online, theft and possession and distribution of child pornography.
Police were sent to arrest him at his home in Ban Pong Prathun village in tambon Pak Chong, but he fled into a nearby forest, where he hid out for two days, the immigration chief said.
Before his surrender, police had been contacted by the embassy and advised the suspect had phoned his mother in Germany and said he would turn himself in if an embassy official was present.
Mr Fernsebner is being held in police custody, pending his return to Germany to stand trial.