Fugitive stepfather Suwiphak, 34, captured in Ratchaburi after a provincial hunt over the sexual assault of his 14-year-old stepdaughter. Police say he admitted all charges under a Surin court warrant before police returned him to Surin for prosecution.
Metropolitan Police have captured a 34-year-old stepfather wanted for sexually assaulting his 14-year-old stepdaughter after tracking him across provincial lines to Ratchaburi. Drug Suppression Division officers raided a house there on Sunday and arrested Mr Suwiphak under a Surin Provincial Court warrant. The warrant covers child abduction for indecent purposes and sexual assault of a child under 15. Police said he admitted every charge, including sexually assaulting the girl at their residence, before being transferred to Surin City Police Station.
Metropolitan Police have captured a 34-year-old stepfather wanted over the sexual assault of his 14-year-old stepdaughter. Mr Suwiphak was arrested at a house in Ratchaburi province on Sunday, August 9.
He had been pursued under a warrant issued by the Surin Provincial Court. Following his capture, police said he admitted every charge against him.
The arrest followed a hunt by officers from the Drug Suppression Division. Pol Col Supachai Chaisuwann, Superintendent of the Drug Suppression Division, led the operation.
Pol Lt Col Yotchanin Prasertsopha, an inspector with the division, joined the arrest team. Meanwhile, both officers acted under orders from Metropolitan Police Commissioner Pol Lt Gen Siam Boonsom.
Police hunt fugitive stepfather across provinces before Ratchaburi house raid ends with his arrest
Behind the operation was a wider police drive targeting fugitives wanted in cases involving children and young people. Pol Lt Col Yotchanin said officers had received instructions to accelerate these searches.
The directive came under policies of the Royal Thai Police and Bangkok Metropolitan Police Command. As part of this, investigators were dispatched to track Mr Suwiphak and establish where he was hiding.
The trail eventually took officers away from Surin and into Ratchaburi province. Investigators discovered Mr Suwiphak was staying at a house there. Subsequently, officers prepared an operation to seize him under the outstanding warrant. The Drug Suppression Division then raided the property and placed the 34-year-old under arrest.
At the centre of the case is a Surin Provincial Court warrant containing several charges involving a child under 15. Notably, the accusations concern both removing the girl from those caring for her and sexually assaulting her. Police identified the victim as Mr Suwiphak’s 14-year-old stepdaughter.
Surin court warrant details child abduction and sexual assault charges against wanted stepfather
The warrant accuses Mr Suwiphak of abducting a child under 15 from parents, guardians or caregivers for indecent purposes. Separately, it accuses him of taking a child under 15 from their care for indecent purposes. Finally, the warrant includes sexual assault of a child under 15 who was not his spouse.
Crucially, the wording states that the sexual assault offence applies regardless of whether the child consented. The warrant describes the accusations as “abducting a child under the age of fifteen from their parents, guardians, or caregivers for indecent purposes”. It additionally covers “taking a child under the age of fifteen from their parents, guardians, or caregivers for indecent purposes”.
The final accusation concerns “committing sexual assault on a child under the age of fifteen who is not their spouse”. The warrant further specifies that the offence applies “regardless of whether the child consents or not”.
After the arrest, investigators questioned Mr Suwiphak about the accusations. According to Pol Lt Col Yotchanin, the suspect admitted all charges. More significantly, police said he confessed to sexually assaulting his stepdaughter at their residence. He also expressed remorse for the incident during questioning.
Suspect admits all charges after Ratchaburi arrest before police officers transfer him back to Surin
In response, officers prepared to return the wanted man to Surin for further proceedings. Mr Suwiphak was then transported to Surin City Police Station. There, the case returned to the police station handling proceedings connected with the Provincial Court warrant.
The bulletin provided few details about how investigators located the Ratchaburi property. However, police confirmed their investigation established that Mr Suwiphak was residing at a house in the province. Officers then moved against that location and arrested him.
On another front, police released no precise address for the property where the arrest occurred. They also did not disclose how long Mr Suwiphak had been staying there. Nor did the bulletin state when the Provincial Court issued its warrant. The duration of the police search was similarly not disclosed.
Nevertheless, investigators had traced the suspect across provincial lines before the Sunday operation. Once his location was established, officers from the Drug Suppression Division were sent to arrest him. The operation brought the wanted stepfather into custody without further circumstances being disclosed.
Cross-province police hunt tracks wanted stepfather to a Ratchaburi house before his Sunday arrest
In parallel, the arrest was tied directly to a broader police push involving crimes against children and youths. Officers had been instructed to pursue suspects already named in outstanding court warrants. Mr Suwiphak became one target of that effort because of the Surin Provincial Court warrant.
Accordingly, investigators began checking his whereabouts before establishing that he was living in Ratchaburi. That information provided the breakthrough needed to locate him. Officers then converged on the house and carried out the arrest.
The bulletin did not disclose whether Mr Suwiphak resisted officers during the raid. Likewise, police provided no information about other people at the house. No details were given about evidence recovered from the property. Instead, the announcement concentrated on the warrant, capture and subsequent admission.
During questioning, the case took another significant step when Mr Suwiphak admitted the accusations, police said. Specifically, he acknowledged sexually assaulting his 14-year-old stepdaughter at their residence. His admission covered all charges contained in the warrant, according to Pol Lt Col Yotchanin.
Police say stepfather admitted accusations after raid as bulletin gives few details of operation
At the same time, investigators gave no further account of the circumstances surrounding the offence. Police did not disclose when it occurred or provide further information concerning the victim. Her identity was protected in the bulletin beyond describing her relationship to the suspect.
The warrant itself provides the clearest account of the legal case confronting Mr Suwiphak. It accuses him of taking a child under 15 away from parents, guardians or caregivers for indecent purposes. Furthermore, it accuses him of sexually assaulting a child under 15 who was not his spouse.
Under the warrant’s wording, the question of consent does not alter that accusation. The victim was 14 when identified in the police account. Moreover, investigators described her as the arrested man’s stepdaughter.
Police warrant sets out offences involving 14-year-old stepdaughter as further details remain limited
Following the questioning, the Ratchaburi phase of the operation ended with Mr Suwiphak’s transfer back to Surin. Officers delivered him to Surin City Police Station for further legal proceedings. The 34-year-old remained detained under the warrant issued by the Surin Provincial Court.
Sunday’s arrest therefore concluded the immediate police search for the wanted man. The investigation had taken officers from the outstanding Surin warrant to his location in Ratchaburi. Ultimately, Drug Suppression Division officers found the house, moved in and took Mr Suwiphak into custody.
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The case now returns to Surin, where the warrant originated. Mr Suwiphak faces further proceedings over the offences listed by the Provincial Court. Police say he has admitted all charges, including sexually assaulting his 14-year-old stepdaughter at their residence.
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