SONGKHLA - An alleged contract killer, ranked 186 on the Royal Thai Police blacklist of gunmen for hire, has been arrested at a rubber plantation in Nakhon Si Thammarat province.
Pol Col Sakda Charoenkul, deputy chief investigator of Provincial Police Region 9, said Nipon Srichumpuang, alias Bao, 41, was taken into custody on Sunday afternoon. He was found hiding out in a cottage at a rubber plantation near Nam Ning village in tambon Ban Lam Nao, Bang Khan district.
He was the subject of an arrest warranted issued by Songkhla's Nathawi Court on Feb 12, 2018 and is charged with premeditated murder, illegal possession of a gun and ammunition and illegally carrying the weapon in public.
In the hut, police found some methamphetamine pills, a .45 semi-automatic pistol and 27 rounds, an M2 carbine rifle with 21 rounds, a shotgun and two .22 long rifles with 30 cartridges.
The carbine was suspected to have been used in a murder at a grocery store in Sadao district, Songkhla, on Dec 18, 2017. Gunmen killed Arkhom Promsopha, 56, chief of the production section of Hat Yai Rubber factory in tambon Prik.
Arrest warrants were issued for five suspects, including Mr Nipon. Three were previously arrested and one remains at large.
Mr Nipon is on police record as a contract killer. He is 186th on the police blacklist of gunmen for hire.