A university student was stabbed and burnt to death in a room in Nonthaburi on Wednesday, with the prime suspect captured by a security camera.
The incident occurred in an apartment building in tambon Bang Khen in Muang district of Nonthaburi. Residents told police and rescuers that they had found a dead man in a fire-damaged room on the sixth floor.
The witnesses told police that they smelled smoke at around 3.30pm on Wednesday, so they tried knocking on every door to find the source. They then saw smoke coming out of room 611.
After the residents got into the room and extinguished the fire, they found a man lying face-down with a blue cloth wrapped around his body. They brought him out of the room and found he was dead.
There were no electrical appliances in the room other than an unplugged fan, they said.
The body was seriously burnt, and three stab wounds were found on the victim’s forehead, chin and chest. Scalp hair was found in the victim’s hand, according to the Central Institute of Forensic Science.
Police said a security camera captured the victim walking back to his room with the suspect wearing a white shirt at 2.18pm. The suspect was subsequently seen riding a red motorbike heading to Prachachuen Road at about 3.20pm. The motorbike was reported to have been stolen.
The suspect was believed to be a woman who studied at the same university as the victim. The victim’s friend said that the two did not get along.
Police said the victim, identified only as Wissawa or Sun, 22, might have been arguing with his attacker before the latter stabbed him to death and set the fire to cover up the murder.
The suspect is being tracked down and will be called for questioning.
Fire damage is seen in the room where the killing happened. (Photo: Nonthaburi Fire and Rescue)