One of the suspects in the underworld murder of an Indian gangster in Phuket has been captured in Canada and an application has been filed for his extradition to Thailand, according to the Office of the Attorney-General (OAG).
Prayuth Petchkhun, the deputy spokesman of the OAG, yesterday revealed that one of the two gunmen, identified as Matthew Leandre Ovide Dupre, was arrested in the Canadian city of Edmonton, Alberta, on Feb 20.
Mr Dupre was being held in detention by the Alberta Court, pending the court's decision on Thailand's extradition request.
Based on Canada's Extradition Law 1999, Thailand must first submit a formal request along with explicit details filed by the prosecutor for the extradition.
Mr Dupre and an alleged accomplice, identified as Gene Karl Lahrkamp, face multiple counts in Thailand, including the premeditated murder of Jimi Singh Sandhu in the parking lot of his rented beachfront villa on Rawai Beach in Muang district of Phuket at about 10.30pm on Feb 4.
The OAG did not provide details on the two suspects yesterday, but Phuket police chief Pol Maj Gen Sermphan Sirikhong has said previously the two were Canadian nationals, aged 37, and they left the resort island on Feb 6.
The Royal Thai Police contacted the OAG seeking their extradition four days later and the Alberta Court issued an arrest warrant for Mr Dupre on Feb 17, leading to his detention.
Mr Prayuth said the OAG was working on bringing him back to stand trial.
Intranee Sumawong, senior public prosecutor at the International Affairs Department, said it was the swift coordination between local and international agencies that had led to the quick arrest of the suspect.
She said the OAG thanks Canadian prosecutors and police and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, among others.