A man, his mother and his girlfriend have been arrested for allegedly killing a driver of a ride-hailing service app and attempting to destroy his body in Chon Buri.
The arrest came after local residents in Chon Buri alerted police to the discovery of the burned body of a man, later identified as Thanathip Waedthaisong, 31, a native of Kalasin, in a forest along the route to Wat Tham Prathun in Bang Lamung district at dawn last Friday.
Police were able to identify three suspects after reviewing CCTV footage.
The three are Theeraphan Somkham, 23; his 16-year-old girlfriend, known only as Mee; and his 51-year-old mother Eliya Abdulahi.
According to the police, Mr Theeraphan ordered a Bolt ride to drop them off in Soi Tanman in Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri last Thursday around 5pm.
Upon arriving at the location in the early hours of Friday, Mr Theeraphan and Thanathip had a heated argument as Mr Theeraphan's bank mobile app was out of service at that time, and he was unable to pay the fare.
Mr Theeraphan told police that while he was trying to figure out a way to pay, the driver became furious and scolded him. Mr Theeaphan could not take the insult and took out a knife, which he used to stab the driver to death, with his girlfriend watching.
After that, Mr Theeraphan drove the victim's car to pick up his mother. The three took the body to the forest and set it on fire. However, the corpse was only partially burned. The trio then took the car to Bangkok, where they sold it to a woman named Bow, who booked them a bus ticket from Bangkok to Phitsanulok, where they were apprehended.