Cops swoop on fugitive wanted in South Korea

A Korean man who broke the terms of his probation in a rape case in South Korea by fleeing to Thailand has been detained in Pattaya, Pol Maj Gen Surachate Hakparn, acting commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, said yesterday.

Yoon Joo Hyun, was nabbed in a coffee shop at a Pattaya department store on Friday following a manhunt.

Hyun was wanted on an Interpol red notice after he ditched his electronic tag and fled South Korea, Pol Maj Gen Surachate said.

Following his arrest it was found he had overstayed his visa by 107 days, according to Pol Maj Gen Surachate, who added the Korean man would be prosecuted for the immigration offence before being deported.

South Korean tourists can stay in Thailand for 30 days without a visa.

Meanwhile, an Indian businessman was detained yesterday for having overstayed his visa for almost three years, during which time he had set himself up as a custom tailor on Surat Thani’s Koh Samui island and married a Thai woman.

Gurpreet Singh Bedi, 49, was detained at a housing project behind Koh Samui airport, Pol Col Watchana Bowonbun, head of Surat Thani’s immigration police said.

Mr Bedi’s visa was found to have expired on Jan 12, 2016, Pol Col Watchana said.

He claimed Mr Bedi had previously fallen foul of the law in Thailand by threatening neighbours, possessing illegal weapons and trespassing, which had resulted in his visa renewal being denied.

He has been living illegally in the country ever since yet still managed somehow to leave and re-enter Thailand on several occasions, Pol Col Watchana said.

During a raid on his living quarters, his Thai wife and child attempted to stall the officers to allow time for the Indian man to escape, but it didn’t work, said Pol Col Watchana.

The Indian man will face charges for overstaying his visa, will be deported back to India and blacklisted from re-entering Thailand, he said.

The arrest was part of a nationwide police crackdown on foreign criminals and foreigners overstaying their visas, Pol Col Watchana said.

Earlier, on Oct 5, a total of 319 foreigners were arrested for immigration offences in raids, which targeted 337 locations across the country.

They also arrested 50 Thais on separate offences.

Authorities descended on locations in Bangkok, Kanchanaburi, Nakhon Sawan and several other provinces, targeting people at a language school, two secondary schools and 334 other places frequented by foreigners.