CHIANG MAI — About a year ago Cpt. Rangsan Charoenkart introduced himself to police authorities up in Chiang Mai province as an army liaison.

Showing up one month after the military coup in a crisp uniform, he attached himself to the police for drug interdiction efforts and even rode shotgun on a number of raids. He made the rounds and got to know many local administrative officials.

Not only was Rangsan not a captain, but more than a year later, police admitted today they were duped by a drug dealer who thought he’d found the perfect disguise. He was arrested in the early hours of this morning.

Rangsan, 34, first introduced himself to the police in June 2014, according to Police Lt. Col. Yutthakan Metha of the Mae Rim Police Station. Apparently Rangsan walked the walk and talked the talk.

“His talking style and manner are very convincing,” Yutthakan said.

While he might have the bearing, Rangsan was betrayed by his lack of a soldier’s stature.

The fact Rangsan barely topped the height of his Honda Fit made police suspect him.

In February – after eight months after he first appeared – some policemen started suspecting Rangsan was faking it. They say now it was because he was just too short. So they reached out to military officers in the area, who confirmed they’d never heard of him.

Impersonating a soldier is a crime in Thailand, so they immediately arrested him. He confessed and was soon released on bail, authorities said.

But that didn’t seem to discourage him, if the latest charges prove true.

At a news conference in Chiang Mai today, police officials said he recently started dressing in his uniform again, so they arrested him again just after midnight early this morning.

This time they also found 16 tabs of meth in his bag, so they charged him with possession and intent to sell, charges they claim he’s confessed to.

“The suspect fooled local residents and his drug clients that he was an army officer, in order to avoid arrest, but eventually it didn’t work out,” Yutthakan said. “We apprehended him.”

Since the military seized power in a coup d’etat in May 2014, soldiers have regularly been deployed to work alongside police as law enforcement officers.

Under order from the junta, they can search homes, patrol the streets and make arrests without warrant.

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BANGKOK — A serial burglar and opportunistic rapist believed to have assaulted about 10 women was taken into custody west of Bangkok, police said yesterday.

Three years after he was released from prison for a similar conviction, Nawaporn Sinma, 41, was arrested Tuesday at an appliance repair shop in Nakhon Pathom where police traced property stolen from a home earlier that day.

"Investigators inspected the crime scene and case, until we realized that stolen goods were being sold at an unnamed repair shop in Nakhon Pathom, so we inspected the shop" and found the suspect there, Police Col. Nithit Booncharoen of the Udom Suk Police Station said yesterday.

Police in Bangkok yesterday discuss the arrest of Nawaporn Sinma, 41, who they said burglarized at least 25 residences and assaulted about 10 women.

Police said Nawaporn, who was released from prison in 2012 after serving five years for burglary and sexual assault, confessed to burglarizing about 25 properties and raping approximately 10 women since his release.

Tuesday’s burglary occurred at the Suphalai gated community on the east side of Bangkok in the Prawet district. Police said it was the second time Nawaporn burglarized that community in less than a week.

Police said Nawaporn would target wealthy homes without alarm systems, usually at about 2 am. Once inside the homes, he allegedly stole appliances and gold, and if there was a woman home, he would sexually assault her.

Several women have stepped forward to file assault charges against Nawaporn, Police Lt. Col. Neti Wongkularb of the Udom Suk Police Station told Khaosod English. Police have also charged him for his spree of burglaries. Police have filed charges against him for the spree of burglaries.

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TRAT — A British man was on the road with his family to an island vacation in the east of Thailand this morning when the truck he was riding in smashed head-on into another, killing him.

A dozen people – 11 from one vehicle and one from the other – were injured when two pickup trucks collided in Trat’s Khao Saming district at around 5 am today, including 50-year-old Paul Flood, who later died of his wounds.

Four children are among the wounded passengers, police said.

Chaliao Flood, wife of the deceased, was driving one of the trucks, which was loaded with members of her family.

She told reporters that they set out from home in Nong Bua Lamphu province at about 6 pm last night and were headed for a vacation on Koh Chang in eastern Thailand.

Chaliao said she was turning right at an intersection and failed to see the oncoming truck, which slammed into her vehicle.

Wattana Sinuan, the driver of the other pick-up truck, said he tried to brake but could not stop in time because Chaliao took the turn without any warning.

“I tried to brake and swerve off, but it was too late,” Wattana said.

Police yet to press charges against any parties at the time of publication.

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