NAKHON PHANOM: An army sergeant is under questioning in connection with the fatal shootings of two petrol station workers last month.
On Wednesday afternoon, Pol Maj Gen Thawatchai Thungpao, chief of Nakhon Phanom police, along with senior investigators from Nakhon Phanom's Muang station and Provincial Police Region 4 detained the suspected soldier attached to the 3rd Infantry Battalion. The soldier, whose name is being withheld, is suspected of involvement in the killings that occurred at Thai Laemthong petrol station in Muang district on Dec 29 last year.
Phomchak Seesupha, 33, a Lao national, and Wichuda Srisuming, 50, a Thai female employee, were fatally shot within the petrol station compound.
Police began the investigation and subsequently detained the suspect for questioning to determine any possible link to the shootings. A war weapon, reportedly an AK-rifle, was seized from his house. The rifle is believed to have been used in the shootings, but the soldier has denied any involvement, according to a source.
The investigation team is in the process of conducting forensic testing on evidence seized from the suspected soldier, along with other relevant items.
The team has not yet ruled out possible motives, including personal and business conflicts at the petrol station.