Thai police are pursuing a Myanmar man accused of raping and killing a Thai woman in the northern province of Tak, after discovering he had been mistakenly deported by immigration officials.
Authorities say a communication breakdown occurred.
The commander of Immigration Division 5 on Saturday ordered Tak immigration officials to gather all the facts.
The case began in November when Thai media outlets said that a woman had told police that her mother was raped and killed by a worker from Myanmar on Nov 11.
The suspect, identified as Thonta Aung, was transferred to the Tak immigration office in Mae Sot district on Nov 15, according to Division 5. On the same day, police sent a letter requesting suspension of his deportation as he was a suspect in a murder case.
At the time, investigators had not yet issued an arrest warrant, pending DNA test results, it said.
On Dec 18, the warrant was issued and police officers from the Pawor station went to the immigration office to take the suspect into custody, only to discover he had been sent to Myanmar a month earlier.
A total of 50 Myanmar migrants, including Thonta Aung, were deported from Mae Sot on Nov 16 and officers there insisted they had not received any suspension notice, Division 5 said.
Police investigators are now coordinating with Myanmar authorities to bring the suspect back to Thailand as soon as possible.
