Murder charge laid against Nareekan’s truck driver as panel probes police corruption claim

By SURIYA PATATHAYO, 
KORNKAMON AKSORNDEJ 
THE NATION

 

Surapon “Aof” Darakham

 

DESPITE his proclamation of innocence, police have filed a murder charge against trailer-truck driver Surapon “Aof” Darakham, 23, over the July 19 death of 19-year-old Nareekan Yawiraj, deputy national police chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul said yestarday.

 

The charge would stick, thanks to incriminating evidence and witnesses’ testimony, Srivara said, although the evidence so far allegedly incriminated only Surapon. If the suspect implicated anyone as accomplices, police would also summon them for questioning. 

 

 

“This case is not an accident, but a murder,” he added.

 

Srivara said the Ayutthaya Police had set up a fact-finding panel to probe an allegation, raised by Help Crime Victims Club’s president and lawyer Achariya Rueangrattanapong, that police investigators had allegedly accepted Bt300,000 to treat the death as an accident. 

 

Achariya publicly claimed that Nareekan might have been sexually and physically assaulted before her death. That led two women to step forward to claim they had also been attacked by Surapon in similar circumstances. They said they accepted a ride from Surapon after he duped them into getting drunk but were instead raped at a hotel. 

 

 

Central Investigation Bureau chief Pol Lt-General Thitirat Nongharnpitak yesterday interviewed the two women. Surapon, who was initially charged for detention by police at Bang Pa-in Police Station, had claimed that Nareekan sustained fatal injuries after she jumped out of his moving truck in Ayutthaya’s Bang Pa-in district while he was giving her a ride home following a night out. Besides Surapon, Nareekan’s friend Sirinat Robram, 18, and her boyfriend, who has been identified only as “Top”, were also charged for abetting in the detention of Nareerat. Sirinat is now in custody but “Top” remains at large. 

 

Those three and Nareekan had been hanging out together at an entertainment venue before the events that led to Nareekan’s death. 

 

Line chat records show Nareekan had expressed intense fear while being a passenger in Surapon’s truck. 

 

She was later found with serious injuries at a hospital in Ayutthaya. 

 

A post mortem found that Nareekan has died of injuries caused by a blunt object to her head. 

 

 

Meanwhile, the Help Crime Victims Club yesterday issued a statement on its Facebook page calling for the Crime Suppression Division and neutral police to take over the case. 

 

There was a need to ensure transparency in a probe against the Bang Pa-in superintendent and subordinates over alleged negligence of duty, and to provide protection to the witnesses, the statement said. 

 

The family also intended to take the victim’s body to a rally outside the Provincial Police Region 1 office today in their call for justice, the club’s post said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30351320

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-08-03

Panel probes police corruption claim.

In the photo there are 3 policemen, think about the 1 on the left, then think about Premchai and the wai ing in front of him, then first thing that comes to mind is brown envelopes.

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Srivara said, although the evidence so far allegedly incriminated only Surapon. If the suspect implicated anyone as accomplices, police would also summon them for questioning. 

Wow! These guys are good. I've always wondered what you're supposed to do if a suspect implicates others as accomplices. Now I know. 

 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Help Crime Victims Club’s president and lawyer Achariya Rueangrattanapong, that police investigators had allegedly accepted Bt300,000 to treat the death as an accident. 

But what about all the good work the police do? We don't congratulate them enough when they do their jobs. Why do we focus so much on the bad stuff they do? So they might have taken a bribe - so what? The truck driver would probably have murdered someone else later on down the line anyway. They could just arrest and prosecute him then. 

 

This whole story has been quite sickening really. I've followed it from the beginning. Some members seem to get offended when you express an extremely low opinion of the police here. To that I always say, "Don't ask me why I have such a low opinion of them, and I won't ask you why you don't". 

Horrible crime (one of many)

But it seems things are starting to go right

congratulations to Help Crime Victims Club’s president   Achariya

 

May he continue his good work and have a long and happy life

 

And  national police chief Srivara - may he be enlightened and, too continue the work

 

"Meanwhile, the Help Crime Victims Club yesterday issued a statement on its Facebook page calling for the Crime Suppression Division and neutral police to take over the case."

 

Neutral Police, that's a good one, how much is their fee.