Police hunt for suspects in shooting of former Immigration Chief “Big Joke’s vehicle in Bangkok

Bangkok:

Police have been examining CCTV footage for clues as to the identity of two men who shot at the car of former immigration chief Pol Lt-Gen Surachet Hakparn, known by his popular nick name Big Joke near the Patpong red-light area in Bangkok on Monday night.

Several rounds were fired at the vehicle, which was parked in front of a Thai massage parlour in a cul-de-sac off Suriwong Road, but neither Surachet nor his driver were in the car at the time of the attack. Hakparn was eating at a restaurant nearby, he told the police.

Pol Gen Veerachai Songmetta, the deputy national police chief responsible for the case, said Monday night that he has ordered police investigators to check images captured by surveillance cameras along the potential escape routes of the perpetrators, especially in the lane where the car was parked.

Images obtained by the police so far show two men, apparently scouting the area, wearing full-face crash helmets riding a motorcycle without a license plate, at 8.15pm, said Pol Gen Veerachai.

Two minutes later, the two returned to the car and the pillion rider fired several shots into the car and then exited from the lane a minute later, at 8.18 pm.

The deputy national police chief said police are yet to determine the motive behind the attack, adding that the car has been sent for forensic examination.  He pleaded for any members of the public, who might have witnessed the shooting or seen the two perpetrators, to come forward.

The former immigration commissioner was once tipped as a frontrunner for national police chief.  He made news headlines on almost a daily basis as he appeared at the scenes of high-profile crimes. He is now a special advisor to the Prime Minister of Thailand.

Source: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/police-probe-shooting-of-ex-immigration-chiefs-car-in-bangkok/

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Adam Judd
Mr. Adam Judd is the Co-owner of TPN Media since December 2017. He is originally from Washington D.C., America, but has also lived in Dallas, Sarasota, and Portsmouth. His background is in retail sales, HR, and operations management, and has written about news and Thailand for many years. He has lived in Pattaya for over nine years as a full-time resident, is well known locally and been visiting the country as a regular visitor for over a decade. His full contact information, including office contact information, can be found on our Contact Us page below. Stories please e-mail Editor@ThePattayanews.com About Us: https://thepattayanews.com/about-us/ Contact Us: https://thepattayanews.com/contact-us/