Police hunt Chinese man over model's death

CCTV footage shows a suspect arriving at a hotel in Bangkok's Bang Kapi district at 11.13pm on Feb 9. A Thai woman was later found dead in a room rented by a Chinese national now being hunted by police. (Police photo)
CCTV footage shows a suspect arriving at a hotel in Bangkok's Bang Kapi district at 11.13pm on Feb 9. A Thai woman was later found dead in a room rented by a Chinese national now being hunted by police. (Police photo)

Police have launched a manhunt for a Chinese national who they believe is responsible for the death of a 22-year-old Thai woman at a hotel in Bangkok's Bang Kapi district last week.

The woman, identified as Airada, was hired through a modelling agency to entertain a Chinese client, identified only as Duoying. Police learned the agency's models are often expected to take drugs during their time with their clients

CCTV footage from the hotel showed the man checking in at 11.16pm on Feb 9. Airada was seen entering the man's room at 2.52am, but at 6.16am, the man was seen leaving the hotel room without her. No one else was seen coming in or out of the room.

A few hours later, hotel staff found Airada lifeless inside the room and called the police. Officers found no sign of injury or a physical struggle on the victim's body.  

Police have also sought a warrant for the arrest of the Chinese man. Police are trying to find him.

Airada's sister said an agent claiming to be from the modelling agency had contacted her on several occasions, saying the Chinese client was willing to pay 100,000 baht to cover her funeral expenses. The agent then raised the offer to 200,000 baht, which the family rejected, she said.

Then a man claiming to be a police officer contacted the family and urged them to accept a 500,000-baht compensation offer, she said.

Vocabulary

  • agency (noun): a company or organisation that arranges for some service or workers to be provided to other companies and people - บริษัทตัวแทน, สำนักงานตัวแทน, หน่วยงานบริการ
  • agent (noun): a person or company that buys or sells something for someone else - ตัวแทน
  • claim (noun): saying that something is true although it has not been proved and other people may not believe it - ข้ออ้าง ข้อกล่าวหา
  • client: a customer or someone who receives services - ลูกค้า
  • compensation: money that someone receives because something bad has happened to them - เงินชดเชย
  • entertain: to interest and amuse somebody in order to please them - ทำให้เพลิดเพลิน, ทำให้สนุกสนาน
  • expenses: money spent in doing a particular job, or for a particular purpose - ค่าใช้จ่าย
  • injury (noun): physical damage done to a person or a part of their body - อาการบาดเจ็บ
  • lifeless (adj): dead or appearing to be dead - ที่ตาย, ที่ไม่มีลมหายใจ
  • struggle: a difficult fight or an attempt to defeat someone - การต่อสู้เพื่อความอยู่รอด
  • warrant (noun): a legal document that is signed by a judge and gives the police authority to do something - หมาย

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