Jilted wife helps gunman
Police in Surat Thani have nabbed a gunman and a woman friend for conspiring in the cold-blooded murder of the woman’s husband which they meted out as punishment for his poor conduct towards her.
Phunphin district and provincial police nabbed Sasipong Buasri, 26, at a massage shop in Tha Chana district for the Oct 22 murder of Tawich “First” Sunyaprak, 31, a seafood trader and second-hand car dealer.
Sasipong Buasri
Sasipong, who admitted killing his victim, said he followed him from his place in Chaiya district that night and overtook him ahead of the spot where he was to slay him. The shooting took place on Highway No 417 (Surat Thani airport-Muang district), at a deserted U-turn just before a bridge.
As Tawich’s pickup approached, he made out as if his own vehicle, a Toyota Yaris, had broken down. Tawich slowed his pickup and wound down the window to ask if he could help.
Sasipong took advantage of this moment to open fire at his victim through his driver’s window, hitting the victim once in the chest and twice in the arm. CCTV vision recorded the sound of half a dozen shots in rapid succession.
Sasipong, who works for the Volunteer Defence Corps and carries a 9mm handgun on his hip, collected the spent shells and left the victim dead in his vehicle.
The next morning, news reports say, he took his pickup to a repair shop to have the mag wheels changed, and also switched the registration plate, to help disguise the vehicle. That done, he carried on with life as if nothing had happened.
Initial media reports quoted police as saying the victim had debt problems and was known to be carrying on with a woman outside his marriage. However, police were cagey about his business activities, while adding the killer knew his victim’s movements well.
When police caught up with him at the massage shop three days later, the killer was all smiles, which news reports said showed his easy familiarity with the law given his job as a defence volunteer. He admitted killing Tawich, but claimed initially that he shot the victim because he looked at him the wrong way.
Police thought this motive was a stretch, even by the brutal standard of some Thai killings which can take place on a mere whim. They expanded their probe and learned that Sasipong had drawn close to the victim’s wife. “He claimed the victim would beat up his wife and was also being unfaithful, so he took Tawich’s life in reprisal,” one policeman said.
Police say Sasipong acted in cahoots with the victim’s wife, identified as “A”, aged 32. She fed him information about her husband’s movements that evening so Sasipong could kill him.
A was unhappy that her husband was seeing a dek en (nightspot worker) on the side and was spending tens of thousands of baht on her a month. He had also given her the use of his car, though claimed to his wife that it was in for repairs. However, she saw through the lie.
Police charged the pair jointly with premeditated murder. Sasipong also faces firearms charges.
Theft is more profitable
A convicted thief from Samut Prakan went back to his old trade of snatch-and-grab robberies after failing to make ends meet as a painter.
Somchai ‘Neng’ Saogner
Bang Khun Thian police nabbed Somchai “Neng” Saogner, 35, in Phra Samut Chedi district, Samut Prakan, for two snatch-and-grab robberies in Bangkok last week.
Linnai, a victim, says she was shopping near Sirichai market in Bang Bon on Oct 22 when the thief came up from behind and snatched her gold necklace. CCTV shows him following her and friends on his motorcycle. He grabbed the necklace and took off on his bike.
Somchai, who admitted the offence, said he took the one-baht weight necklace and traded it at a local store, raising 18,900 baht. With the proceeds he took his girlfriend for a day at the seaside in Bang Saen.
Media reports said he managed to spend the lot on his one-day outing, so the next day went out and tried his luck again. This time he stole a gold necklace worth two saleung in weight from a victim in the Rat Burana area. Once again he sold at a local shop, raising 15,000 baht.
When police caught him later that day they also recovered the cash proceeds. A check of his criminal history showed Somchai had been caught for snatch and grab robberies and for drugs offences five times.
He was freed from jail most recently in late 2021, after which he took up work as a painter. However, he told police he was unable to make ends meet as a painter so went back to stealing. Police charged him with theft.
Engaged no more
A woman who was about to get engaged with a Thai worker evacuated from Israel was shot dead by her angry ex-boyfriend.
Sawat
Klong Tan police nabbed Sawat, 36, for killing Kornika at a storage area in soi Sukhumvit 69, Phra Khanong Nuea in Klong Toey. He shot her in the nape of the neck, the arm, and back.
Sawat, a tuk tuk driver, who told police the pair were once together but broke up as he already had a family of his own. However, he was restless and wanted his ex-girlfriend back again.
When he asked if they could start again, she spurned his advances, as she had since found new love. She was about to get engaged to a Thai worker recently evacuated from Gaza Strip, where Israel has declared war on terror group Hamas.
Sawat decided she had no right to seek pleasure if he was miserable, so shot her. Police charged him with murder.
Brazen assault
Police in Nonthaburi police caught an old man who punched an eight-year-old twice in the chin for accidentally hitting him with his football.
Sukhumphan
Pak Kret police nabbed Sukhumphan, 64, on his way back from Suphan Buri on his motorcycle on Oct 25. He hit the boy two days before in full view of passersby as the old man was buying an ice-cream in the Tha Nam area of Pak Kret.
Khanun, aged eight, and three friends said they were kicking their ball when it accidentally hit the old man in the back. Khanun twice offered the man a wai of apology, but the old man, enraged, grabbed the lad by the collar and punched him twice in the chin.
The boy started to cry, as the ice-cream seller who was serving the old man and who witnessed the attack, shouted at the attacker to leave the boy alone. No one else intervened despite the public display of aggression.
The boy’s father, Wanchai, 33, took his son to see a doctor, and laid a complaint with Pak Kret police, who caught up with the old man two days later. He claimed he regretted hitting the boy, though had yet to hand himself in at the time he was caught.
Sukhumphan, originally from from Pathum Thani, maintained he hit the boy just once, and would like to say sorry to the lad and his parents.
Netizens shared images taken from CCTV cameras in the area which captured the assault.
Police charged the old man with assault and fined him 1,000 baht as provided for under the law.