A district chief from Ratchaburi has turned himself in to fight charges related to the murder of young woman in a love triangle that included a senior policeman.
Sanong Somsit, 54, who is known to residents of Ban Pong district as kamnan Nong, was wanted on an arrest warrant issued by the Taling Chan Court in Bangkok. He is accused of hiring others to abduct a person, holding a person to deprive them of their freedom, premeditated murder and destroying a body.
Metropolitan Police Bureau chief Sanit Mahathavorn, held a news conference on Saturday evening to announce the arrest of Mr Sanong.
The kamnan and his team allegedly abducted Suphakson Ponthaisong, 28, from her apartment in Bangkok last month. Her body was found buried in Muang district of Kanchanaburi province on Wednesday.
Pol Col Amnuay Phongsawad, 58, the superintendent of Ban Pong district police station, was arrested for allegedly hiring Mr Sanong to manage the abduction.
Mr Sanong was believed to have later contacted Niwat Suaythong, 32, to complete the job.
At the news conference, Mr Sanong said he had known Pol Col Amnuay for some time. Last November, Pol Col Amnuay asked him to find a team to abduct and kill Suphakson. He approached Mr Niwat to handle the job for 200,000 baht divided into three payments.
Mr Sanong said Pol Col Amnuay was angry with Suphakson because she was having an affair with Kannikar Krumrum, a 38-year-old restaurant singer who is allegedly a mistress of the policeman. As well, he had been trying unsuccessfully to recover 4-5 million baht owed to Ms Kannikar by Suphakson. The money was his originally. Finally, he was angered by insulting comments made about his love affairs on Facebook.
Mr Sanong said Mr Niwat informed him on Dec 14 that the job has done but he did not ask for details. He said he did not know whether Suphakson died on that day or not.
“When I learned that the abduction team members were arrested and some were wanted on arrest warrants, I decided to turn myself in,” he said.
Mr Sanong and Pol Col Amnuay are among eight suspects in the case. Ms Kannikar, Mr Niwat and his alleged accomplice have also been detained, and three others remain at large.