Chaowalit Thongduang, a 37-year-old prisoner who escaped from a hospital in Nakhon Si Thammarat, is likely to be hiding somewhere in Khao Banthat Wildlife Sanctuary, a refuge for animals that covers four southern provinces, according to police.
Police were tracing the prisoner in the area via mobile phone signals, which marks a significant u-turn from their previous assumption that Chaowalit had fled the country through the southern border province of Satun.
The sanctuary covers 1,266 square kilometres of forest in Phatthalung, Trang, Satun and Songkhla.
Chaowalit, alias Sia Paeng Na Nod, escaped from Maharat Nakhon Si Thammarat Hospital, where he had an appointment to receive dental care, some time between Saturday night and Monday morning.
CCTV at the hospital showed Chaowalit emerge from a lift with a man who was later identified as Chirawut, or Luk Wua, before they left in a white Mitsubishi Triton pickup truck, said a source.
The truck, which was later found to have been driven by another man identified by police as Chakkri, or Big, was seen followed by a black Honda Civic and an Isuzu D-Max pickup truck.
Tracking these vehicles via the phone signals of the people travelling in them, police found the three cars first headed in the direction of Chian Yai and Cha-aut districts of Nakhon Si Thammarat before moving into neighbouring Phatthalung.
However, when they reached Sri Nakharin district of Phatthalung, all three cars went their separate ways, with the Mitsubishi truck going to Satun, the Isuzu truck heading to Trang and the Civic to Krabi.
The police were apparently deceived at first into believing Chaowalit was heading to Satun in the same Mitsubishi truck and possibly had escaped to a neighbouring country.
Only after his mobile signals were detected in the Khao Banthat Wildlife Sanctuary area did police realise he had not travelled in the truck, which was later found abandoned about 10 metres from the house of a local politician in Satun.
The prisoner is believed to have switched to the Civic, which was thought to be driven by Chaowalit's close aide -- identified only as Non -- who drove the car from Krabi to Nakhon Si Thammarat.
The black Civic took Chaowalit to Trang where he got out and walked into the wildlife sanctuary, about 2km from the nearest road.
A witness said they spotted someone driving a motorcycle into the forest in the direction where Chaowalit is believed to be hiding. The driver was seen carrying a bag that could contain food supplies and even a firearm. Police have focused their search for the fugitive on the sanctuary. The manhunt continued for a fourth day on Wednesday.
Narong Nukhong, Nakhon Si Thammarat Central Prison's chief, has been transferred in the wake of Chaowalit's escape.