Thai police have awarded themselves three million baht for arresting a suspect in the bombing of Bangkok’s Erawan Shrine on August 17.

Police had previously announced the reward (about $AU117,000) for any information leading to arrests, but, after police captured a suspect themselves, they graciously accepted the bounty.

• New suspects hunted over Bangkok bomb
• Bangkok bomb suspect ‘uncooperative’
• Police struggling to find Bangkok bomber

National police chief Somyout Poompanmoung was accompanied by a huge pile of money as he announced the dividend would go to the police themselves.

According to Sky News, Somyout said “he was redirecting the money to motivate them and to demonstrate that the country’s police are good at their job”.

On Saturday, Thai police arrested a 28-year-old man in relation to the bombing, while two further warrants have also been issued.

“He has been relatively cooperative. He gave us some information,” police spokesman Lieutenant General Prawut Thavornsiri said, according to CNN.

“The man we have is not the man in the sketch, but we believe he is part of the network which carried out the two bomb incidents.”

He released images of two suspects believed to be connected to the bombing – 26-year-old Thai woman Wanna Suansun and a man of unknown nationality, believed to be named Jusuf.

There has been no claim of responsibility for the bombing.

Since May 2014 Thailand has been ruled by a military junta, who seized power promising law and order.