NARATHIWAT -- A 35-year-old woman was shot dead by two assailants who took her motorcycle in Tak Bai district on Sunday morning, police said.
Pol Lt Col Nonwaris Tabungkan, deputy chief investigator of Tak Bai police station, said the incident occurred at about 7.45am on a road in Yuyo village in tambon Bang KhunThong.
Police learned from an investigation of witnesses that while the woman, Benjawan Soonsakul, was travelling on a motorycle from her house to buy food at the market of Yuyo village, she was followed by two men on another motorcycle.
At a certain spot, the pillion rider fired two shots from a .38 pistol at Mrs Benjawan, hitting her in the head and back, killing her instantly. The pillion rider then took her motorcycle and the two assailants fled.
Pol Col Pacharapol Na Nakorn, the Tak Bai police chief, sent a radio message to all checkpoints and nearby police stations to intercept the attackers for fear that the stolen bike could be used as a motorcycle bomb in a future attack by militants.