KHON KAEN, Thailand – Two young men tried to drag a 39-year-old jogger into a public toilet late on the evening of August 2. A sharp-eyed passerby stopped the attack.
One of the suspects had filed a fake robbery report shortly before to throw police off the scent. The woman had finished her run and was sitting by the lake around 9 pm.
Passerby foils the assault
Two young men pulled up on a white-blue motorbike with no plates. They grabbed the woman and tried to drag her into the nearby public toilet.
A passerby stepped in and stopped the assault on the spot. The attackers fled. The 39-year-old phoned Ban Fang police immediately.
Fake robbery as a diversion
That same night, 20-year-old Thanachot walked into the station and reported a robbery. He claimed strangers had taken his phone and cash near Bueng Sawang.
Officers took the statement by the book – not yet linking it to the attempted attack reported just before. Later it emerged the robbery report was a complete fabrication designed to mislead the investigation.
CCTV catches them out
A surveillance camera had recorded the whole incident. Police secured the footage and showed it to the victim. The 39-year-old immediately identified the 20-year-old who later filed the phony robbery report.
A face-to-face lineup confirmed the identities of both men. The supposed robbery victim was actually one of the attackers. Investigators drove straight to Thanachot’s home.
Suspects confess – alcohol involved
During questioning, Thanachot admitted the attack. He said he and his accomplice Sitthichai, 21, had been drinking alcohol before riding around on the motorbike.
They spotted the woman sitting alone, approached her, and grabbed her. When the passerby intervened, they fled. Scared of punishment, they cooked up the fake robbery report, the suspect said.
Arrest and charges
The victim identified both men clearly as her attackers. Police arrested the suspects, aged 20 and 21, and handed them over to the investigating officer.
They face charges of jointly committing indecent acts against a person over 15 years old and unlawful deprivation of liberty. Criminal investigations are ongoing.
said police.