The three Chinese suspects in the abduction and murder of a Chinese student in Thailand have been arrested in Wuhan and will be prosecuted in China, police chief said on Tuesday.

Police said the men could be sentenced to death under Chinese law.

The three Chinese men were arrested in Wuhan, China. They would not be returned to Thailand for trial because there is no extradition treaty between Bangkok and Beijing, police said.

The three suspects are Chinese nationals Chen Saikan, 23, Zhou Xiongfei, 23 and Zhou Pengfei, 24.

According to police, the suspects said the murder stemmed from a love affair. The victim,  22-year-old Jin Can, earlier had a relationship with one of the men in China. She was killed because she rejected him in Thailand last month.

A 19-year-old Thai woman who worked at a karaoke shop has also been arrested. She was suspected of being a decoy in the abduction.

Police said the victim had known the suspects in China. They had followed her to Thailand and had kept in contact with her until the abduction. They had arrived on 15-day tourist visas.

The murdered woman arrived in Thailand on March 8 to study.

She disappeared on March 28 and her body was found in Nonthaburi province on April 1.

Earlier reports said that the gang demanded a 500,000-yuan (about 2.5 million baht) ransom from her father and murdered her after failing to get the money on March 29.