KRABI — 21 January 2026, Police in southern Thailand arrested a petrol station owner on Tuesday after he allegedly opened fire on an excavator amid a land dispute, authorities said.
The incident occurred late morning at a banana plantation beside the Khao Phanom–Chai Buri road in Moo 3, Khao Din subdistrict, Khao Phanom district. Police at Khao Phanom station said they received a report that a gunman had fired at an excavator, with a bullet striking the driver’s cabin of a saloon car. The round did not penetrate the cabin and no injuries were reported.
Officers who arrived at the scene found the excavator owner and its driver waiting to give statements. Police said more than 20 shots were fired in three bursts from a house about 100 metres away, adjacent to the plantation. When officers attempted to approach the house, the gate was locked from the inside.
At about 11:00, Khao Phanom police chief Col. Jenapob Butkinree coordinated with Krabi provincial police. Provincial police commander Maj. Gen. Sukasem Nakwilai led more than 30 officers to surround the house, citing concerns that firearms were inside. Relatives were asked to negotiate with the suspect, and after more than an hour one relative persuaded him to open the gate and surrender.
The suspect was identified as Akkadet Jindarak, 55, a resident of Moo 3 in Khao Din subdistrict and the owner of a local petrol station. He initially denied firing any shots.
A search of his bedroom uncovered a 9mm handgun hidden under a pillow with a magazine and 10 rounds of ammunition. However, police said the shell casings found at the firing point outside the house were 11mm, with four casings recovered. After further questioning, the suspect admitted to firing the weapon and said he had hidden it in a nearby plantation.
Police later recovered an 11mm handgun with more than 30 rounds of ammunition, and a long-barrel shotgun with five shells concealed inside the house.
During questioning, the suspect told investigators he fired to intimidate others due to a land dispute involving the area where the excavator had been hired to work. He was taken to Khao Phanom police station for further questioning. Police said charges had not yet been filed pending additional interviews with the vehicle owner, the driver and witnesses.