Chinese fugitive’s daring escape in Thailand ends in recapture 200km away
The Chinese fraud suspect jumped out of a second-floor window during his bold escape
A Chinese national who escaped from Thai police custody by dramatically leaping from a second-floor window was recaptured less than 24 hours later in a hotel 200km (124 miles) away after an extensive manhunt.
Li Jian, 38, was arrested at Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport on Wednesday as he was about to board an AirAsia flight to Da Nang, Vietnam, local media reported.
An existing warrant for his arrest related to fraud had been issued by the Pattaya Provincial Court earlier that day.
Li reportedly convinced an unsuspecting victim to exchange Chinese yuan for a stablecoin in exchange for investment opportunities.
The victim transferred USDT tokens, valued at more than 1.26 million baht (US$38,600), in exchange for 178,000 yuan (US$24,800). Li did not transfer the yuan, prompting the victim to file a police report, according to Thai daily Khao Sod.
After his arrest, Li was brought to the Pattaya City Police Station just after midnight on Thursday for processing. However, while investigating officer Kriangkrai Kaewphiphop was momentarily distracted, Li opened a sliding glass window in the second-floor interrogation room, jumped down to a side street and fled.
“Li said he needed to contact a friend for legal help,” Kriangkrai told the Thaiger news website. “The next moment, he ran and jumped out the window.”
The police lieutenant tried to pursue Li by jumping out of the same window but crashed onto a marble bench. Despite being injured, he continued the chase but could not keep up, The Pattaya News reported.
Police immediately initiated a manhunt for Li and tracked his movements through CCTV footage.
They also appealed to the public for information. Soon after, Chanthaburi police received a report that Li had been spotted leaving his hotel room and walking in front of the hotel on Maharaj Road. He was arrested at his hotel at about 7.30pm.
By 12.46am on Friday, almost 24 hours after his daring escape, a visibly stressed Li found himself back where he had started.
He later told officers that he had hired a taxi for 4,000 baht to flee to Chanthaburi, a province near Cambodia, hoping to cross the border.
Li’s bold escape has led to calls for increased scrutiny over security measures at Thai police stations.
Pattaya Police Superintendent Anek Sarathongyoo admitted the escape was a “procedural lapse” and vowed to review protocol to avoid future escapes, and commended Kringkai. “I am also concerned about the injured investigator who tried to stop the suspect despite being seriously hurt.”
This is the second reported escape from Thai police custody in as many months.
On May 14, a prison in the Na Thawi district of southern Thailand announced that a male inmate, who had been convicted of drug-related charges, had escaped. The prison offered a reward of 50,000 baht for information leading to his recapture. According to Khao Sod, he was apprehended later that same day.
About a month before, on April 9, a man arrested for theft managed to escape while being escorted to the Office of the Attorney General, the Thaiger reported. He smashed through the roof of the police vehicle, crawled out, jumped onto the road, and fled on foot.
Mae Yao police later said they had planned to release the suspect, but he escaped. In addition to theft charges, he now faces up to three years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to 60,000 baht for escaping custody and remains at large.
