BANGLAMUNG, Chonburi – A chase involving highway maintenance staff, police, and local residents ended with the arrest of a mother and her teenage son on Sunday morning after they were allegedly caught cutting street lighting cables along Highway 331.
At about 8:30 a.m. on August 23rd, 2026, officers from the Khao Mai Kaew Highway Maintenance Section received a report that suspects were stealing electrical wires from the street lighting system along National Highway 331 (Sattahip–Khao Hin Son route) in the Khao Mai Kaew subdistrict. Staff immediately coordinated with police and rushed to the scene.
Ms. Panyathip Aranyaphoowanat, a civil works officer from the Khao Mai Kaew Highway Section, joined police and several good Samaritans in pursuing the suspects. The pair fled on a motorcycle into a side soi next to a petrol station, where the bike rider lost control and crashed. Officers and residents quickly detained them.
One of those arrested appeared to suffer a sudden medical episode and thrashed about, but onlookers believed the behavior was feigned.
A preliminary search recovered electrical cables inside a black plastic bag along with tools used for cutting wires. These items were seized as evidence. The two suspects are a woman approximately 60 years old and a 16-year-old boy who are mother and son.
Authorities noted that the theft of roadside lighting cables causes far greater harm than the value of the stolen materials. Cutting even a portion of the wiring can black out streetlights for several kilometers, leaving roads in darkness and raising the risk of traffic accidents.
Ms. Panyathip later filed a formal complaint with investigators at Huai Yai Police Station so the case can be properly examined, including any possible links to other cable thefts in the area. The suspects have denied the allegations, but police said they are not yet convinced and will gather further evidence to proceed under due legal process.
Highway and police officials appealed to the public to report any suspicious individuals or vehicles near electrical control boxes, lamp posts or roadside cable lines immediately to police or relevant agencies.
