Police focus on love triangle in search for missing salesman

Police focus on love triangle in search for missing salesman

GRUESOME TASK: Scuba divers from the Poh Teck Tung Foundation on Saturday search for the remains of a missing salesman in a pond in the Boromratchonnanee area.
GRUESOME TASK: Scuba divers from the Poh Teck Tung Foundation on Saturday search for the remains of a missing salesman in a pond in the Boromratchonnanee area.

The Institute of Forensic Medicine has studied whether bones found in a pond near Boromratchonnanee Road belong to car salesman Rattaphum Pimjaisai who went missing in December last year, according to police.

Pol Col Noppasin Poonsawat, deputy commander of the metropolitan investigation centre, said scuba divers from the Poh Teck Tung Foundation found two pieces of bone in a four-rai pond within a public park, located under Chimphli elevated road.

Police asked three scuba divers from the foundation to search the area between Boromratchonnanee Soi 78 and Soi 89.

The search for Mr Rattaphum, the missing Bangkok car salesman, was resumed after police received complaints from people in the area about a bad smell emanating from the pond, forcing them to fish elsewhere.

Police had earlier found a mobile phone and possessions belonging to the missing salesman at the spot, which is also located near the house of Mr Rattaphum's girlfriend, whom police identified only as Mew.

Ms Mew was alleged to be close to a senior military officer, according to the police.

Mr Rattaphum, 34, went missing on Dec 20, last year. He was last seen near Boromratchonnanee Soi 78.

A mobile phone belonging to Mr Rattaphum was found nearby while another search on Friday found the man's black leather shoes, 20,000 baht in cash and Mr Rattaphum's Buddha image.

The phone, shoes, cash and Buddha image were collected as evidence and submitted for DNA tests, the police said.

Two pieces of bone were found in the pond and later sent for forensic tests to determine if they belonged to Mr Rattaphum or at least a human.

On Dec 31, the search for Mr Rattaphum was posted online.

According to the police, Nuntiya Wuwanwasee, Mr Rattaphum's wife, reported his disappearance to Thammasala police on Jan 8 as she was concerned about her husband's safety. He had lost contact with the family since Dec 20.

Police said on the day he went missing Mr Rattaphum phoned his manager, asking for help by sharing his location via smartphone and he then lost contact. The location Mr Rattaphum shared was on Boromratchonnanee Soi 78 in Thawi Watthana district.

Mr Ratthaphum has a tattoo of a star on his right wrist.

Pol Col Noppasin said based on the evidence and investigation, investigators suspect the abduction could be fuelled by jealousy.

Pol Col Phumrat Kositwanitwong, superintendent of Thammasala police station overseeing the case, said a military officer who is close to Ms Mew met investigators on Thursday to give accounts.

But he declined to say what the military officer told the police, saying it would affect the investigation.

Metropolitan Police Bureau chief Sanit Mahathavorn acknowledged yesterday Mr Rattaphum's chances of survival are slim, saying the police are speeding up their investigation.

The love triangle has been the focus of the investigation, he said, adding Mr Rattaphum is good-looking and has relationships with many women. Mr Rattaphum argued with his wife and left his house before his disappearance.

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