CHON BURI - Three men have been detained on suspicion of the abduction and sexual assault of two female Russian tourists on Dec 26, police said.
Chon Buri police on Tuesday raided a single-storey house in tambon Nong Prue of Bang Lamung district, acting on a tip off a blue pickup truck used in the attack was parked there. The truck's owner, a woman, was detained for questioning, according to a report in Thai Rath newspaper online.
Neighbours said the vehicle was parked suspiciously with its licence plate removed. It is identical to the one caught by a CCTV camera on the day of the assault.
The victims, aged 31 and 32, were able to identify the vehicle. Forensic investigators also recovered fingerprints from the truck.
The pickup's owner is the wife of Wichian Jaija, also known as Bangsi, 30-35, the prime suspect to the crime. He was later detained at his mistress's house in Bang Pakong district in Chachoengsao province and questioned, after which police applied for an arrest warrant.
Mr Wichian is known to be involved with many women and currently separated from his wife. He also has prior record of attempted murder with a firearm, according to Thai Rath.
Two other men identified only as as Rit and Ek were also interrogated and subjected to drug tests. Initially, no charges were filed against them. One of them, a 16-17 year-old minor, allegedly acted as lookout.
The police on Dec 27 also questioned the owner of another pickup truck and searched the vehicle. A few teenagers were also questioned last week.