PHETCHABUN — Four men, including a former political party candidate and a village head, have been arrested for the robbery and attempted murder of a woman in Bung Sam Phan district who survived the attack by playing dead.
The suspects — Thianthat Pattanathamrongchai, 51, Sawing Deethian, 51, Tripetch Kumpapan, 35, and Thongphoon Sirimee, 37 — were taken to a police news conference at the Bung Sam Phan police station on Saturday.
Sawing was the head of village Moo 5 in tambon Huai Khot in Huai Khot district of Uthai Thani, and Tripetch has contested elections under the banners of different political parties in the same province.
The four have been charged with the robbery and attempted murder of Wantha Hoithong, 50, on Dec 26. Seized from them was a stolen car and a pickup truck and a knife used in the crime.
Police said the four confessed that they had driven the pickup and cut in front of Mrs Wantha on the Kanju-Ratcharoen Road in Bung Sam Phan on the morning of Dec 26.
When the woman stopped her car, two men entered the vehicle and robbed her of a gold necklace, gold ornaments and 35,000 baht in cash. The four then drove her in her car to a sugarcane plantation. They forced her to get out and Mr Tripetch allegedly slashed her throat with a knife. The woman was badly wounded and pretended to be dead.
After the suspects left, Mrs Wanta emerged from the plantation to seek help from a security guard who was passing by.
Mr Tripetch claimed he had no intention to attack the woman but she had resisted. Mrs Wantha sustained severe knife wounds to her throat and needed 70 stitches, Thai media reported.
Pol Lt Gen Chonnasit Wattanawarangkul, chief of Police Region 6, said police needed six days to track down and arrest the suspects after receiving the complaint.
He cautioned people not to wear or carry valuable items as they could become targets of thefts.