Manhunt continues after murder and gang rape in Trang
The number of suspects believed to be connected to the murder of a southern man and the rape and assault of his girlfriend continued to grow on Monday, with Phatthalung police saying even parents of the accused may be involved.
Four teenagers already have been arrested in the killing of 18-year-old Pasakorn Khongsawasdi and the stabbing, bludgeoning and repeated rape of his girlfriend in tambon Ban Na of Si Nakharin district Jan 27.
But police said on Monday they suspected three more teenagers and parents of the four detained suspects might be involved in the crime while yet another woman may have acted as a decoy to help abduct the victims.
Pasakorn's body was found buried in a forest near the Banthad mountain range in tambon Ban Na. The burial site was seven kilometres away from Khao Khram-Ban Kong Ra Road.
The girlfriend reportedly was raped by four suspects on Thursday and Friday. They then allegedly stabbed the girl, hit her with a rock and dumped her in a ravine in tambon Chong of Na Yong.....
Police widen net for killers, rapists of southern couple | Bangkok Post: news
Police protection asked for rape victim
Relatives of a young woman who survived a murder attempt with serious injuries have asked for police protection for the victim after a group of strangers went to the hospital where she was treated to look for her.
The victim was raped and assaulted by a group of young men who later dumped her into a ravine at Khao Pabpa in Phatthalung province believing that she was already dead. Sustaining knife wounds, she managed to crawl her way out of the ravine and asked for help.
But her boyfriend was not as lucky. He was killed and his body buried in the bushes by the gang to cover up the crime.
The victim’s relatives reported that five strangers showed up at the hospital in Phatthalung on Sunday night to look for the victim but hospital officials sent them away. They said they were concerned with the safety of the victim and demanded the victim to be moved to another ward and provided with police protection.
Srinakharind district officer Mr Pornchai Soksome visited the victim on Monday and asked the police to arrange for some policemen to guard the victim.
Meanwhile, two suspects turned themselves in to police at Langsuan police station in Chumporn province. Police are looking for three other suspects, including a woman, who were believed to be involved in the crime.
Police protection asked for a rape victim - Thai PBS English News
4 Arrested for Savage Abduction, Murder and Rape
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Rescue workers carry away the body of 18-year-old Passakorn Kongsawasdi on Sunday in Trang province.
PHATTHALUNG — Four men, including two minors, were arrested yesterday in Phatthalung province and accused of abducting a young woman and man, the latter of which they murdered, in an ordeal captured on one suspect’s phone.
Police believe five suspects plotted in cold blood to abduct, hold captive and ultimately slay the couple out of jealousy and to settle a “personal dispute” in a crime which has attracted widespread attention for its brutality.
“It was a personal dispute. They insulted each other on Facebook, and [the suspects] lost their temper, so they went ahead with the crime,” said Col. Wichai Wichayanarupol, commander of Sri Nakharin Police Station.
The murdered man, 18-year-old Passakorn Kongsawasdi, had recently broken up with a family member of one of the suspects and was dating the female victim, who was the same suspect’s ex-girlfriend, Wichai said.
The four arrested suspects were identified as two 19-year-old men and two 17-year-old male minors. One of the adult men was identified as Nopporn Thongead. Wichai added that police are looking for a fifth male suspect, 20, whose role in the crime was unclear.
Police did not name any of the other suspects.
According to police, the four men phoned and invited Passakorn and his 18-year-old girlfriend Wednesday to meet to settle their dispute in a forest in Banna district in neighboring Trang province.
When Passakorn and his girlfriend showed up, the suspects reportedly ambushed and held them in a hut for three days. On Saturday, they took the victims out to a clearing, tied them up and made them watch as they dug a grave, police said.
The suspects allegedly later raped Passakorn’s girlfriend in front of him before shooting him with a shotgun and burying him, at which point they stabbed the woman and left her for dead.
She survived the assault and managed to seek help from local residents, who alerted police. Wichai said the woman, whose name is being withheld as a victim of sexual assault, is recovering at hospital, where police officers have been posted for her safety.
Two of the four men were arrested Monday while two others surrendered to police in Chumphon province. The suspects told police they filmed the entire thing with a phone camera.
Wichai said the suspects were neither intoxicated nor under the influence of drugs when they committed the alleged crimes.
“Before the incident, they tried to settle the dispute, but they failed to settle the matter, so out of momentary rage they attacked the two victims,” Wichai said.
The suspects have been charged with a number of offenses, including premeditated murder, rape and unlawful detention.
4 Arrested for Savage Abduction, Murder and Rape
