The Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for a senior police officer and six others for allegedly abducting and killing a female restaurant worker in Sa Kaeo province who went missing from an apartment in Bangkok last month, police say.
Pol Col Thanasit Pansri, the superintendent of Nong Kangplu police station, said the court had approved arrest warrants for seven people for allegedly kidnapping Suphaksorn Ponthaisong, 28.
The kidnapped woman worked in a restaurant on Buddha Monthon Sai 4 in Sa Kaeo's Muang district. However, she was in Bangkok at the time of her alleged abduction.
The court on Tuesday issued arrest warrant No.13/2560 for Pol Col Amnuay Pongsawat, 58, superintendent of Ban Pong police station in Ratchaburi province for allegedly hiring a group of people to illegally detain, attack and murder a person and conceal a death, police said.
The court also approved arrest warrants Nos.7-12/2560 for Niwat Suaythong, 32, Phumithat Piboonsawat, 24, Chaiyuth Benjachart, 41, Phanumet Meela, 34, Samart Saengsin, 50 and Kannikar Krumrum, 38, who is a singer in a restaurant, for colluding in illegally detaining, attacking and murdering a person and concealing the dead body, according to police.
According to a source close to police, Mr Samart was a former police officer attached to a police station in Kanchanaburi.
Subsequent to leaving his job as a police officer, Mr Samart became an influential person in Kanchanaburi.
A team of police raided Mr Samart's house and found several firearms there.
Pol Col Thanasit said investigators had a witness and evidence to support the claim that Ms Suphaksorn was abducted by a group of men.
An investigator overseeing the case said a witness saw Ms Suphaksorn being taken from an apartment in Soi Phetkasem 114, Nong Khaem district of Bangkok, about 10pm on Dec 13 last year, he added.
Investigators also have CCTV footage near the apartment building, police said.
Boonchoo Ponthaisong and Sompit Traichandaeng, the victim's parents, recently met the Metropolitan Police Bureau chief Sanit Mahathavorn, and asked him to search for their daughter who had lost contact with the family.
The parents told police they were concerned about Ms Suphaksorn's safety after the witness saw her being abducted.
Pol Col Thanasit said based on their investigation, police believe Ms Suphaksorn was kidnapped and killed and her abduction was fuelled by jealousy.
Ms Suphaksorn had been in a relationship with a female worker who works as a singer in a restaurant.
Her female partner had been seeing a senior police officer and he developed an infatuation with her.
Investigators suspect the senior policeman was jealous of the attention Ms Suphaksorn had been receiving and hired men to kidnap her, police said.
Pol Col Thanasit said Nong Kangplu police who are overseeing the case will work closely with the Crime Investigation Division Provincial Police Region 7 to investigate Ms Suphaksorn's suspected abduction.
Investigators will call Ms Suphaksorn's parents in for more details about their daughter.