A 27-year-old man, the alleged perpetrator in a Nonthaburi condominium murder case, was apprehended on Friday in the southern province of Chumphon, according to a police source.
The man, identified as Mr. Phurinat, was arrested around 1 PM by officers from the Provincial Police Region 1’s Investigation Division at a house in Muang district.
Mr. Phurinat is the prime suspect in the murder of Paisarn Thong-on, 54, whose body was found with multiple stab wounds in his condominium room in the Ngam Wong Wan area last Sunday.
According to the source, the body was discovered five days after the murder.
Footage from the condo’s CCTV camera showed the victim and Mr. Phurinat together in the elevator at around 10 PM on May 20, before heading to the victim’s room where he lived alone.
The investigation revealed that the suspect left the condo around 4 AM the next day with a large green bag and then took a taxi to a nearby shopping center.
The suspect allegedly purchased gold bars valued at over 800,000 baht using the deceased’s credit cards and ID, telling the shopkeeper he had just undergone facial surgery.
CCTV footage later captured the suspect in Pattaya, wearing a hoodie and face mask along the beach.
He was reported to have checked into a hotel in Pattaya and stayed there until Tuesday.
Subsequently, he took a taxi from Pattaya to Hua Hin in Prachuap Khiri Khan province.
The taxi driver informed the police that the suspect, posing as a Hong Kong tourist and communicating only in English, paid her 4,000 baht for the trip.
From Hua Hin, the suspect reportedly traveled to Surat Thani and then Chumphon, where he was apprehended, according to the source.
During questioning, the suspect stated he had known Paisarn for about a year as a partner in an import business.
The motive for the killing was said to be a business conflict.
