Police on Wednesday arrested a 51-year-old man described as the boyfriend of a murdered woman whose naked and mutilated body was discovered two hours earlier in a swamp in Khon Kaen's Chum Phae district.
Prasit Khampa, 51 was held as a suspect in the murder of Sabai Rayabsri, 46, whose corpse was found in Nong E-lerng swamp near a road in Chum Phae municipality in Khon Kaen at 4am.
The woman had sustained deep knife wounds to her throat and stomach. Her genitals were also mutilated. A pair of blue jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt, some coins and a pack of fried rice were found near her body.
Police believed she died at least two hours before her body was discovered.
Residents told police the victim was a homeless woman who made a living from selling scrap.
She was often seen drinking with a group of bus drivers and homeless people at the Chum Phae bus terminal. She was last seen walking near the bus terminal.
Police said Mr Prasit told them that he had been seeing the woman for three months and planned the murder as she was behaving inappropriately and having sex with other men.
He allegedly confessed he had lured Sabai to the pond, where they had sex at the roadside. After that, he stabbed her to death, cut her genitals and threw body parts into the water. He dumped the knife in the woods at the roadside, and cleaned himself in the pond.
After the murder, Mr Prasit allegedly walked to the bus terminal where he sat until police arrested him.