KHON KAEN: A 32-year-old man was arrested in Ban Phai district on Friday for the alleged rape of a young Lao woman he lured into a relationship with a fake profile picture on Facebook.
Ekachai Pirapak, a native of Yasothon province, was detained at a construction workers camp at the entrance of Ban Nong Waeng Ong in tambon Nai Muang of Ban Phai on Friday afternoon.
The arrest followed a complaint raised by Lao deputy consul-general Suriyong Mapha-nguang on Friday morning about the rape of an 18-year-old woman at a resort hotel in Ban Phai on Thursday morning.
Mr Ekachai allegedly confessed to raping the Lao woman four times, explaining he was furious because she showed him a picture of her ex-boyfriend.
He said he had made friends with her via Facebook in December last year and chatted with her regularly. Learning she had broken up with a boyfriend, he hoped to develop a closer relationship by meeting her in person.
When she said she was visiting Thailand to see her elder sister, he arranged to meet her at Ban Phai.
Mr Ekachai also admitted he often borrowed money from her and did not repay it.
Pol Col Suwat Somjit, chief of the Ban Phai police station, said the suspect lured the woman to the meeting by promising he would pay her the money he owed her. The suspect did not use his own photo for the profile picture of his Facebook account either, he added.