The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) announced that Sathit was arrested in a parking area in Bangkok’s Lat Phrao district under a warrant issued by the Phuket Provincial Court on Apr 9 for attempted murder with premeditation.
The arrest stems from an assault in Phuket Town in the early hours of Nov 16 last year.
According to police, a 45-year-old woman was returning to her residence on Mae Luan Rd after leaving an establishment in Phuket Old Town when she was attacked by a group of men in the parking area of her residence at about 1am.
The victim suffered serious facial injuries and was taken to Bangkok Hospital Phuket for treatment. The attackers fled the scene on motorbikes.
Investigators later gathered evidence linking Sathit to the assault, leading the Phuket Provincial Court to issue an arrest warrant.
CSD investigators tracked Sathit to a residence in Bangkok and arrested him as he walked to a parking area, police said. He was subsequently handed over to investigators at Phuket City Police Station for further legal action.
The CIB said checks on Sathit’s criminal record revealed previous convictions in two notorious kidnapping cases.
In 2007, he was convicted over the kidnapping of a wealthy American oil executive who was held for ransom. The victim was later rescued by police and Sathit was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
After his early release, Sathit was again arrested in 2016 in connection with another kidnapping case in Pathum Thani. Police said he and accomplices abducted a businessman and allegedly extorted more than B2 million from the victim. He was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison in that case.
After serving time in prison for previous convictions, Sathit was released and later moved to Phuket, where police said he worked as a debt collector and security guard at entertainment venues before allegedly becoming involved in the latest case.
Police said Sathit claimed that an acquaintance had told him the female victim was involved with the acquaintance’s girlfriend. He allegedly informed associates where the woman was staying, after which the group waited for and assaulted her.
However, Sathit denied being present during the attack itself, police said.
Police added that Sathit fled Phuket after learning that a complaint had been filed against him and had been hiding in Bangkok until his arrest.