A Thai man fled from Surin province to Mukdahan after allegedly murdering a gay man and stealing gold jewellery worth over 1 million baht on June 4.
The victim, 63 year old Pratheep Kongthawee, was found dead at his home in Surin with a fatal stab wound to his neck and bruises on his hands and arms. His body was concealed under a red blanket. A 15 year old boy named Benz was the first person to discover the body.
Pratheep’s family told Sawai Police Station officers that gold accessories valued at more than 1 million baht was missing. Police also noted signs of forced entry on Pratheep’s bedroom door. However, other valuables, including leftover gold and cash, remained untouched.
Initially, Benz and three other men became the main suspects. However, after further investigation and questioning, all were cleared of involvement.
Officers broadened the scope of their inquiry to residents who had previously sought financial assistance from Pratheep. They soon identified a man named Saengchan, who lived just 200 metres away and was known to frequently borrow money from the victim due to a gambling addiction.
Saengchan aroused further suspicion when he failed to attend Pratheep’s funeral and disappeared from the community on June 8.
Saengchan worked as a chauffeur for a local vocational college, transporting teachers and students. After driving teachers back to Surin from a work trip to Udon Thani, he abandoned the college vehicle at a hospital and vanished.
A teacher later told ThaiRath that Saengchan had asked her whether the police had contacted the college or enquired about him.
Security camera footage revealed that Saengchan sold gold jewellery at around 9am on June 4, earning approximately 200,000 baht. He later visited a bank to pay off his family’s outstanding motorcycle loan of 20,000 baht.
Staff at the financial company told police that Saengchan had requested they not inform his family about the payment.
CCTV footage later showed him boarding a coach from Surin to Mukdahan at around 10am on June 10. He arrived the next day, reportedly carrying a black garbage bag at all times. Police suspect he was hiding at his daughter-in-law’s house, but he was not found there.
Saengchan later abandoned the black bag in Mukdahan’s Nikhom Kham Soi district. Inside, only two pairs of men’s underwear were discovered.
A karaoke bar owner in the area told Channel 8 that she encountered Saengchan at around 10pm on June 13. He had arrived on a motorcycle with another man and bought two bottles of beer.
The owner said he enquired about sex workers, but she informed him her establishment did not provide such services and instead directed him to nearby places. The next day, she realised he was the murder suspect.
Police continue to search for Saengchan in Mukdahan province. Channel 8 reported that he may have already fled across the border into Laos, as Mukdahan is a border province.
Residents noted that officers are stationed along the Mekong River, a common border-crossing point, but enforcement is lax. People from both Thailand and Laos reportedly cross the river frequently as part of daily life.
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