Man arrested after knife-point sexual assault of 14-year-old girl

2026-03-10 - 03:03

CHIANG MAI — 9 March 2026, Police in Chiang Mai arrested a 33-year-old man accused of breaking into a home and sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl while threatening her with a knife, before hiding nearby where he was later found and detained. The incident occurred around 17:15 in the Chang Klan sub-district along Charoen Prathet Road in Mueang Chiang Mai district. Investigators from Chiang Mai City Police Station received a report of the assault shortly before 18:00 and arrived to examine the scene. The victim told police that a man wearing a short-sleeved blue shirt and black trousers entered the house, took a knife from inside and threatened her before the assault. He then fled the scene. Officers reviewed CCTV footage from nearby cameras showing a man matching the victim’s description heading toward the house. A search of the area, including an abandoned house next door, led officers to the suspect around 21:00. Police found the man, later identified as Mr. Yusuf (surname withheld), a Myanmar national, hiding in grass behind the derelict property adjacent to the victim’s home. His clothing matched witness descriptions and CCTV footage. During the arrest, police said he resisted and fell, striking his head on a rock and sustaining a wound near his right eye. Officers recovered a knife believed to have been used in the crime. Pol. Col. Prachya Thitthala, superintendent of Chiang Mai City Police Station, said the suspect told investigators he had previously become infatuated with the girl. He had worked as a labourer at a neighbouring house and had once asked the girl for her contact details, which she refused. After leaving the job, the neighbouring house became vacant and abandoned. Police said he occasionally stayed there and had been watching the victim. On the day of the incident, after seeing the girl’s mother leave the home, he allegedly entered the house while the girl was alone, threatened her with a knife and carried out the assault before fleeing. Police have charged him with rape involving violence or threats with a weapon, and burglary of a dwelling. He remains in custody pending further legal proceedings.