Prawit’s hunch is based on the latest detention of three police officers suspected of helping Yingluck flee. The suspects are believed to have received “the order” to take Yingluck out of the country, he said.

Whether the order would link to a former chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, as has been speculated, needs further investigation, Prawit said.

It remains unclear exactly which border checkpoint she slipped through, he said.