Another suspect involved in the kidnapping and murder of a Korean man in Pattaya, Thailand, has been apprehended in Cambodia.
The National Police Agency announced that a Korean man in his 20s, identified as A, suspected of kidnapping and murdering a Korean tourist in Pattaya and disposing of the body, was arrested in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, at 12:10 a.m. Korean time on the 14th.
The police confirmed that the fugitive A had left Thailand for Cambodia and pursued him in cooperation with police attach?s dispatched to Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar. They also requested a red notice for A from Interpol.
At around 9 p.m. the previous day, intelligence was received that a Korean man believed to be A was staying at an accommodation in Phnom Penh. A joint operation with local police was conducted, resulting in his arrest at the lodging facility.
Our police plan to coordinate with Cambodian and Thai police agencies regarding the schedule for repatriating A, who is detained by Cambodian police.
Thai police are examining a body contained in a black plastic container recovered from a reservoir in Pattaya. [Photo by Thai media Khaosod website capture]
Earlier, on the 12th local time, a Korean man was found dead inside a black plastic container at a depth of 3 meters in a reservoir in Pattaya. The container was sealed with cement, and the man’s fingers had all been severed.
The deceased is presumed to be a man in his 30s from Gimhae, Gyeongnam, who entered Thailand on the 30th of last month and was last seen on the 2nd of this month at a bar in the Huai Khwang area of Bangkok. The police are re-verifying his identity by sending the victim’s family DNA information.
On the 7th, the man’s mother received a threatening phone call from an unknown person saying, “If you do not pay 3 million baht (approximately 112 million KRW), your son will be killed because he caused harm by discarding drugs.”
Police, upon receiving the report, reviewed closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and confirmed that on the 3rd, two Korean men transported the deceased in a car heading toward Pattaya. They also confirmed that after purchasing a black plastic container and rope, they stayed at the reservoir for about an hour before leaving.
The police searched the reservoir, found the man’s body, and identified three Korean suspects, launching a manhunt.
On the same day, A was arrested, and at 7:46 p.m. on the 12th, B, a man in his 20s, was urgently detained at a residence in Jeongeup, Jeonbuk, leaving only one of the three Korean suspects at large.
The police are cooperating with local authorities to track down the remaining suspect, who is believed to have fled to neighboring countries around Thailand.
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