RAYONG: A suspected drug addict was arrested in Klaeng district of this eastern province on Tuesday for throwing a one-year-old toddler into a shrimp pond, killing the child.
The suspect, identified only as Nutthapong, 36, was arrested at the scene visibly intoxicated and agitated, said Pol Capt Nutthakrit Konglord, the duty officer at the Klaeng police station.
The dead child was identified as the one-year-old son of Mr Thongpipat, 26, a co-worker of the suspect.
Police said the boy’s body was found after having been in the water for some time. The pond was located next to the workers’ cabins on a shrimp farm.
According to the boy’s father, the suspect started working at the farm three days before the killing.
He said he had left his son with Mr Nutthapong, who was also a friend, while he went to the toilet.
He then said he heard his son crying shortly after, so he yelled for the boy to be quiet before hearing loud noises as if someone was kicking a door.
The noises were followed by the sound of people jumping into the water, which he thought was Mr Nutthapong going into the pond to fish.
Mr Thongpipat said that when he came out of the toilet and found his son missing he asked Mr Nutthapong where his son was. Mr Nutthapong said he threw the toddler into the pond.
The father thought his friend was joking so he began to look around and subsequently found his son’s body floating in the water.
According to the police, basic CPR was performed on the toddler by a relative who was unable to revive the boy.
When police and medical workers arrived, Mr Nutthapong appeared to be highly intoxicated, screamed and resisted arrest.
He was taken to the Klaeng police station for drug testing, said police.