A woman has been found strangled to death in a rented room in Phetchaburi, with police exploring two possible motives for the crime — either a love affair or a robbery.
The woman, identified as Lalita Chanchote, 33, of Ban Laem district, was found dead in her room in a house on Khlong Tian Road, tambon Cha-am, on Friday night.
Lalita, who was a clerk at a convenience store at Cha-am market, was found lying in bed with a pillow on her face and a blanket covering her body. Police said she had been strangled with a cable cord.
Officers at the scene also found that her handbag had been ransacked. Some of her belongings were missing, including two mobile phones, a gold ring and a gold necklace, but her motorcycle was still parked outside.
Police said the killer could have been an acquaintance of the victim, who was known to be a “friendly” employee with several male admirers.
They said she must have allowed the culprit into her room, since there was no sign of forced entry.
Witnesses told police that Lalita had attended a New Year’s Eve dance party at Ban Bo Prakhon, which was not far from where she lived. Her colleagues said she didn’t show up for work on Thursday, but they assumed she had stayed home because she was too tired after the party.
Lalita’s daughter, 18, named only as Pu, was working as a dancer at the party on Wednesday night. She told police her mother came to the party but left before midnight. The daughter said she didn’t know if her mother had come to the party alone or not.
A man called Pawaris alerted Cha-am police station to Lalita’s death.
Her body was sent to Phra Chomklao Hospital for an autopsy. Police said they hope that a DNA test on samples collected from the scene will lead to the killer.