BURI RAM, Thailand — A 42-year-old inmate who escaped from Buri Ram Provincial Prison was recaptured early Thursday morning after a massive overnight manhunt involving more than 300 officers and thermal-detection drones.
The prisoner, identified only as Kowit, from Kamphaeng Phet province, had been serving time for cattle theft—a series of crimes that earned him the nickname “Soi Juu Thief” (Butcher Thief) for slaughtering stolen cattle just meters from farmers’ pens and making off only with the meat.
Escape and Search
Authorities said Kowit scaled the prison walls around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday using prison blankets tied together as a rope. His escape triggered an intensive search around the provincial government centre, with hundreds of officers sweeping the area and drones scanning the terrain through the night.
By Thursday morning, police located Kowit hiding in bushes behind the government complex. Police thanked all participating units for their efforts in the successful operation.
Motivation and Capture
During a crime scene reconstruction, Kowit told officers he escaped because he longed to see his daughters, aged three and four. “I knew it would add to my sentence, but I wanted to hug my children again. I’d serve more time for that chance,” he reportedly said.
He described receiving an electric shock while climbing the prison wall but pressing on. To evade capture, he avoided villages with CCTV cameras, eventually hiding in the forest behind the government centre, where he stayed curled up under bushes until his capture.
Kowit issued a public apology during the reconstruction, urging others not to commit crimes or attempt escape. “If you get caught, don’t run like I did,” he said. “It causes trouble for officers, scares the public, and leads to more charges.”
Additional Charges
Kowit now faces new charges under Section 190 of the Criminal Code for escaping confinement, which carries a penalty of up to three years in prison and/or a fine of 60,000 baht. These charges add to his existing convictions for theft at night using a vehicle and violations of animal slaughter regulations.
Officials said prison security protocols would be reviewed to prevent similar escapes. The prison commander presented reward money to officers involved in the search and praised the collaborative efforts of all agencies.
