Provincial Police Region 7 has been ordered to hand its probe into a scandal involving five winning lottery tickets worth a total of 30 million baht and an ownership dispute over to the Crime Suppression Division (CSD).
Further complicating matters, one of the two claimed owners is a retired police officer.
The order to pass the case on came from national police chief Chakthip Chaijinda, Pol Col Kritsana Pattanacharoen, deputy spokesman for the Royal Thai Police (RTP), said yesterday.
He denied allegations the regional police had tried to cheat the true owner out of the five tickets for the Nov 1, 2017 draw.
The transfer aims to ensure transparency and clarify who really owns the winning tickets, which were purchased in Kanchanaburi, Pol Col Kritsana said.
Last month the police confirmed the owner as being Preecha Kraikruan, a teacher.
He lodged a complaint against Pol Lt Jaroon Wimol, a retired officer who Mr Preecha claims tried to claim the money illegally.
The officer will be summoned to acknowledge a charge of embezzling assets after the probe wraps up, police said.
But Pol Lt Jaroon's lawyer said the fight is not over and vowed to contest in court the "dark influence" he claims has interfered with the investigation.
The officer still believes he will be validated as the true jackpot winner, insisting he bought the tickets from a female vendor, he said.
Pol Lt Gen Kittiphong Ngaomuk, chief of Provincial Police Region 7, said earlier investigators have evidence to confirm the winning tickets were sold to a retail vendor in the Red City market of Kanchanaburi's Muang district.
The vendor then resold the tickets to another vendor who later sold them to Mr Preecha, officials say.
Pol Lt Gen Kittiphong insisted officers must have both witnesses and security camera footage to back up their conclusion that Pol Lt Jaroon did not buy the tickets but found them by chance.
A witness at the market told police he heard someone saying that he found lottery tickets and when he turned to look in the direction the sound came from, he saw Pol Lt Jaroon, Pol Lt Gen Kittiphong said.
He said the witness's account is backed by security camera footage not far from the lottery vending stalls.
Mr Preecha said he was relieved by yesterday's announcement.
He said he has crucial evidence proving his ownership of the tickets if the case goes to court.
He filed a complaint with the police after the tickets disappeared but Pol Lt Jaroon later claimed the prize at the Government Lottery Office.
The retired officer alleges he bought the tickets at Red City.
Meanwhile, Atchariya Ruangrattanapong, head of a group set up to help victims in criminal cases, submitted a petition to Pol Gen Chakthip yesterday requesting he consider transferring Pol Maj Gen Suthi Puangpikul, chief of the Kanchanaburi provincial police, to the RTP's operations centre.
He said this would ensure transparency and prevent any interference in the probe.
The provincial police chief has allegedly been meddling with the investigation. From Nov 2-28 he abused his authority to confiscate Pol Lt Jaroon's money, authorities said.
That sparked criticism about the allegedly "unfair" role the regional police have in the case, Mr Atchariya said.
Pol Maj Gen Suthi insisted he had not been accused of any wrongdoing.
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