Dream - Thailand's number one fugitive, Chaowalit Thongduang or Sia Paeng Nanod, was arrested in Bali after seven months on the run. Chaowalit or Paeng was arrested in an apartment in Badung, Bali on May 29, 2024. The arrest of Chaowalit was confirmed by the Prime Minister of Thailand, Srettha Thavisin. Chaowalit's escape to Indonesia is not a trivial matter. Chaowalit committed brutal acts of shooting police officers and members of the Thai judiciary.

From the results of coordination with the Royal Thai Police, it is known that Chaowalit is one of the drug dealers. Chaowalit is suspected of being assisted by his henchmen to escape from prison and reside in Indonesia for several months. "This means that he is indeed one of the dealers, one of the bosses. If someone is a mafia, they must have henchmen," he explained. The Head of the Narcotics Division of the Indonesian National Police Criminal Investigation Department, Brigadier General Mukti Juharsa, emphasized that Chaowalit had not yet committed drug abuse crimes in Indonesia.

He mentioned that Chaowalit was assisted by an Indonesian woman with the initials FS to forge the identity. FS has now been detained by the police. "Meanwhile, the person who helped the fugitive create fake identities such as ID cards, Family Cards, and birth certificates as residents of East Aceh Regency, Aceh Province, is a woman with the initials FS. In carrying out her actions, FS was assisted by a person with the initials U," he explained. Mukti Juharsa added that Chaowalit had briefly stayed in India before coming to Indonesia. The fugitive chose Indonesia as a refuge because his face resembled that of a native.

"Besides conducting arrests, they also obtained statements from several witnesses. In total, there are 8 Indonesian citizens who are involved in the escape and identity forgery, as well as how the fugitive managed to survive," said Wahyu. Wahyu elaborated that the 8 individuals are T, who works as an online motorcycle taxi driver, W, an employee at a mobile phone counter, A, an online taxi driver, SA, a friend of the fugitive, EA, a friend of SA, TA, a money delivery service agent, ES, the owner of the rented ship that assisted Chaowalit in entering Indonesia, and SR, a taxi driver. However, the police are still conducting further investigations.