Police believe that mobile phones and power bank chargers were used to commit arson in several southern provinces last week.
Deputy Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police Pol Lt Gen Suchart Theerasawat said his investigating officers believe that a fire, which broke out at a Tesco Lotus supermarket in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, was triggered by a mobile phone and a power bank charger found at the scene.
Police have found similar items at fires in other provinces. The supermarket chain will reopen Tuesday following a restoration process.
A 32-year-old suspect, Sakarin Karuehat, was questioned by Commissioner of Provincial Police Region 8 Pol Lt Gen Tesa Siriwatho at the 41st Military Circle in Nakhon Si Thammarat. No details regarding the interrogation have been divulged by the police.
Meanwhile, Chevron Thailand Exploration and Production, Ltd, has denied that Karuehat is one of its employees, explaining that the suspect had been working for a subcontracted company.
Karuehat, who is originally from Chiang Mai province, was arrested while working on an offshore oil rig in the Gulf of Thailand. His arrest was assisted by the Department of Mineral Fuels, which used one of its helicopters to transport police officers to the oil rig.
