Thai woman arrested over sale of stolen police guns to Karen

A Thai woman has been arrested for allegedly buying 43 assault rifles stolen from a police arsenal in Bangkok for reselling to Karen troops across the border in Umphang district of Tak province.

Crime Suppression Division (CSD) police arrested Worawan (surname withheld), 49, at her house in Tambon Umphang of Umphang district.

The arrest followed a long investigation into 43 M16 assault rifles stolen from the Border Patrol Police’s quartermaster storage in Bangkok’s Bang Khen district in December 2022.

After the theft was uncovered, Pol Corporal Narubet (surname withheld) and seven alleged accomplices were arrested.

Police later found that Narubet had sold 43 stolen M16 rifles to Pol Lt-Colonel Nakharin (surname withheld) in two lots and Nakharin later sold them to Worawan.

The CSD alleged that Worawan later sold the M16 rifles to the Karen army across the border.

Worawan was taken to the CSD head office in Bangkok for further legal action.