Police drone helps track down escaped suspect who fled into pond, nearly drowns during half-hour swim

Investigators from Doi Saket Police Station, backed by volunteer rescue teams, launched a manhunt for a suspect in a major theft case after he escaped from the police station at around 9pm. Officers combed the surrounding routes and likely escape points, and by 2.30am a tip from a member of the public led them to a disused clay pit in the Dong Pa Kor community, Cherng Doi subdistrict.

The operation made use of a thermal-imaging drone supplied by the Chiang Mai Provincial Police, brought in because poor visibility overnight was hampering the ground search. Aerial footage revealed the suspect had jumped into a pond and was swimming to evade capture. He kept it up for more than half an hour before exhaustion forced him back toward the bank, at which point officers threw him a foam box to keep him afloat before he went under. He was taken into custody shortly after.

Police Colonel Supachai Chandra, superintendent of Doi Saket Police Station, said the operation’s standout feature was the drone’s thermal-detection capability, new technology that proved decisive in the dark. He also credited support from the Chiang Mai Special Operations Unit and rescue teams from Sawang Samret, Cherng Doi and Mae Khue municipalities, who provided manpower and lighting.

The suspect, a Tai Yai man, is wanted in connection with more than ten motorcycle theft cases across several police jurisdictions in Mueang Chiang Mai district. Investigators traced him to the Doi Saket area, where the arrest was finally made.