Thai Man Fled to Mukdahan After Allegedly Murdering Gay Man and Stealing Over 1 Million Baht in Gold Jewellery

A 63-year-old gay man, 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. The investigation led police to a 15-year-old boy, Benz, and three other men, who were later cleared of involvement. After questioning residents who had previously sought financial assistance from Pratheep, police identified a man named Saengchan, who lived just 200 meters 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.

Key Takeaways:

• Saengchan, a 200-meter neighbor of Pratheep, was identified as a suspect due to his history of borrowing money from the victim and his failure to attend the funeral.
• Security camera footage revealed that Saengchan sold gold jewelry on June 4, earning approximately 200,000 baht, and later visited a bank to pay off his family's motorcycle loan.
• Saengchan abandoned the college vehicle at a hospital after driving teachers back from a work trip to Udon Thani, and later boarded a coach from Surin to Mukdahan on June 10.
• He was spotted at a karaoke bar on June 13, where he enquired about sex workers, and the owner later realized he was the murder suspect.
• Police are searching for Saengchan in Mukdahan province, with concerns that he may have already fled across the border into Laos.
• Residents noted that enforcement is lax along the Mekong River, a common border-crossing point.

Statistics:

• Value of stolen gold jewelry: over 1 million baht
• Amount earned from selling stolen gold jewelry: approximately 200,000 baht
• Outstanding motorcycle loan paid off by Saengchan: 20,000 baht
• Number of pairs of men's underwear found in the abandoned black bag: 2
• Date of discovery of Pratheep's body: not specified
• Date of Saengchan's disappearance from the community: June 8
• Date of Saengchan's departure from Surin to Mukdahan: June 10
• Time of Saengchan's arrival at Mukdahan: next day after departing

Sources:

• Sawai Police Station officers
• ThaiRath (teacher's testimony)
• Channel 8 (Saengchan's encounter at the karaoke bar)
• Channel 8 (Petch Petpailin's reporting on the case)
• The Thaiger (Petch Petpailin's bio and LinkedIn profile)