Manhunt for serial rapist gathers pace

Manhunt for serial rapist gathers pace

Suspect linked to 12 attacks, two murders

A man wanted for a string of rapes and murders going back to 2011 has now raped another 73-year-old victim, challenging police who are in a race against time to stop him.

Police have distributed two views of an Identikit photo made with the help of survivors of the serial rapists' attacks and urge anyone with information to contact them on 191. The suspect has targeted women in their 60s and 70s, and has killed two of a dozen known victims in attacks that began in 2011.

The latest rape occurred in Nakhon Pathom early Sunday and takes the total number of rapes linked to the man to 12. He targets elderly women, though one of his first victims was in her 30s. Two of the attacks ended in murder.

Police, who describe the man as highly dangerous, finally released Identikit pictures of the suspect.

Police urged anyone with information to contact them on 191.

The Central Investigation Bureau's acting chief Pol Lt Gen Thitirat Nonghanphitak has given his subordinates two weeks to bring the rapist to justice, according to a source.

The latest rape was reported at a canal-side house in tambon Lan Tak Fa in Nakhon Pathom's Nakhon Chaisi district. The elderly woman was alone at the time, as her son, who lives with her, was visiting Samut Sakhon's Krathumban district.

The rapist first poisoned the victim's dog to death before letting himself in through the  window and heading towards her bedroom, police said.

The victim said she was awakened by a man dressed in black and with his face covered.

He threatened her with a knife before raping her. He then cut the telephone line and made off with 5,000-baht in cash and a Buddhist amulet.

Pol Lt Gen Thitirat believes the rapist has now committed 12 rapes, and two murders. 

Earlier police were aware of nine rapes, eight of them involving elderly women, and one involving a 39-year-old woman.

The crimes took place in Nakhon Pathom and Samut Songkhram.

During the investigation, which expanded to border areas between Samut Songkhram's Bang Khonthi district and Ratchaburi, officers also found another two elderly women who were raped in 2011. However, the victims, aged between 70 and 78 years old, did not complain to local police.

The latest rape, reported Sunday, takes the total to 12.

Pol Lt Gen Thitirat said DNA tests suggest the same man is responsible.

Police are intensifying their hunt for the man. "Within two or three days, we expect to get some clues that can lead to an arrest," Pol Lt Gen Thitirat said.

Police believe the suspect is still in Nakhon Pathom because the crime has just occurred, said assistant national police chief Pol Lt Gen Sophon Phisutthiwong.

"We've mobilised police to enclose many areas," he said, referring to those in Nakhon Chaisi, Bang Len, Don Tum and Buddha Monthon districts of Nakhon Pathom.

The officers are asking residents whether they have seen a stranger in their neighbourhood.

"We have to speed up our search. The suspect can carry on offending if we do not catch him. He is now a very dangerous man," Pol Lt Gen Sophon said.

He said the rapist may have a mental disorder as he always targets elderly women. But the suspect is clever at warding off police.

The man cuts the telephone lines and power to his victim's homes. He avoids stealing the mobile phones of his victims as they may allow investigators to track him down, Pol Lt Gen Sophon said.   

Officers from the Crime Suppression Division and the Provincial Police Region 7 overseeing western provinces are working together to investigate the earlier nine cases.

They divide into teams to carry out inspections in each area where the crimes took place, according to acting CSD chief Pol Col Akkharadet Phimonsi.

The investigators have looked into how the rapist travelled to the victims' houses.

One house, where an elderly woman was raped and killed, was beside a canal such as the one in the latest case. The rapist is thought to commit his crimes in bare feet.

These pieces of information lead some officers to think the suspect might be among workers who travel by boat to their workplaces between Nakhon Pathom and Samut Songkhram, said deputy CSD chief Pol Col Prasoet Phatthanadi.

However, concerning the latest case in Nakhon Pathom's Nakhon Chaisi, Pol Lt Gen Sophon believes the rapist travelled by road because the canal is full of water weeds that hinder travelling. Police say the culprit looks at whether his would-be victims are alone. He also poisons any dogs he finds.

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