SURAT THAI: A wealthy Thai-Indian couple were found drowned in a hotel pool on Koh Tao while holidaying on the island. Police found no signs of foul play.
Rakeshwar Sachathamakul, 59, and his wife Anshoo, 55, are believed to have died while swimming in the two-metre-deep pool at the Jamahkiri Resort & Spa on Friday.
Their son Ratish Sachathamakul, 34, alerted police at 4.45pm after he found his parents lying in the water. He called hotel staff for help but attempts to revive the couple failed.
Rakeshwar was the co-owner and CEO of the Novotel Phuket Kamala Beach hotel in Phuket and owned the Bangkapi Mansion apartments on Sukhumvit Soi 12 in Bangkok. He was the managing director of Wireform A.N. (Thailand) Co, a manufacturer or precision springs and plastic parts for automotive and other industries, with plants in Rayong and Prachin Buri.
Pol Col Kriangkrai Kraikaew, chief of Koh Tao police, told Thai media that the couple had visited the island for a holiday with their son. After checking into the hotel, they went for a walk. Their son left for a nearby beach while his parents went to the pool, according to the police investigation.
Police found no traces of a struggle or any other signs of foul play at the scene. Investigators were told that Rakeshwar had some underlying health conditions, including diabetes, hypertension and obstructive sleep apnea, said Pol Col Kriangkrai.
Closed-circuit television cameras at the hotel had not been working for several months due to lack of maintenance. The hotel had not opened the swimming pool during the Covid-19 outbreak, said Pol Col Kriangkrai.
Investigators believe that either Rakeshwar or his wife had got into trouble while swimming, and that the other had tried unsuccessfully to help.
Thai media reported that the couple’s son cast no doubt on the cause of his parents’ deaths. During an initial examination of the bodies, a doctor concluded that the couple died due to lack of oxygen to the brain.