Man Arrested, Charged With Killing Russian Tourists In Thailand

[andyadam]

Man arrested, charged with killing Russian tourists in Thailand 3/2/2007 2:28:32 PM

Pattaya, Thailand – Thai police arrested a man and charged him with the murders of two female tourists who were gunned down on Jomtien beach in Pattaya last Saturday. The suspect was identified as Anuchit Lamlert, 24, an unemployed man who has been arrested many times for robbing foreign tourists, The Nation reported. The suspect has confessed of the killing. However, he would not give the reason. After committing the crime, he escaped from the scene by his motorcycle and threw the gun to the bushes. Thai Police are now searching for the murder weapon.

Police tracked down Lamlert after spreading a photo robot of the gunman and set award of $15,000 for information about his whereabouts. The image was made with the help of digital procession of a security camera video. The image was completed by testimony of a crime witness. The witness said the photo robot "resembled remarkably" a man he saw fleeing the crime scene when the Russian tourists were gunned.

As Newslab reported earlier, two tourists from Kemerovo Tatiana Tsimfer, 30, and Lyubov Svirkova, 25, were murdered on the beach in front of the Thai resort hotel in Pattaya on February 24. No evidence of struggle or violence were found. There were drinks unfinished and mobile phones nearby on the sand. Thai police reported that there had been several tens of incoming calls on the mobile phones of the girls not long before their killing.

The results of a medical forensic expert examination received after an autopsy of the bodies were made public on February 28. The amount of alcohol in the girls' blood was high enough, now drugs were detected. Experts stated that the tourists had had sexual contacts within for days preceding the murder. The fact is partially confirmed by the words of their relatives, who said the girls had been a success with men in Thailand, RBC reported. Svirkova's mother told her daughter wanted to leave before the trip pass was expired because of assertive courting by local men.

Despite the confession, the investigation is continuing on the basis of other leads suggesting the motive for the killings may not have been robbery. Police is identifying the mobile callers. Police are also checking information that a European man might have been also involved in the killing. Murderers are wanted among Russian tourists, youth Thai biker groups and international criminal gangs. The girls' bodies will be taken to Novosibirsk and passed to their relatives on March 2.

Source newslab siberia NEWSLAB

[leisurely]

This doesn't make sense to me. The person who was arrested was known to have robbed many tourists in the past. In all the reports I have read, the women's mobile phones were untouched. Something fishy about this I think.

[johnh101]

I think they have found a suitable scapegoat to cover up for the real killers. It seems all to convenient. The guy is a robber who doesn't rob, he doesn't look tall, does he wear combat boots, the gun was sold to an unknown party, etc, etc.........

[prakhonchai nick]

Quote from Bangkok Post 3rd March 2007 "According to police, Anuchit has committed numerous crimes, mainly robbery and mugging of foreign tourists in Pattaya.

He was temporarily released after allegedly shooting a South Korean tourist in January"

Why oh why are people granted bail when they have been arrested for serious crimes AND have a hiostory of such crimes?

Do the Police not oppose bail? Are the Judges being paid off (don't answer that because I have been reliably told that in many cases they are)

These 2 Russian women would still be alive today if the law was enforced and the judiciary acted in a responsible manner.

Khun Seri should breathe fear into every policeman throughout the country, and in his expected tenure of 1 year should and can rid the Police pof most of its corrupt officers.

As an aside, since the Thais do not like to complain, but the farangs are happy to shop all the corrupt police, there should be an e-mail hotline for farangs ti report misedemeanours

[Ungabunga]

As it turns out, Pattaya City News update on their website reports that the guy arrested and charged was dropped in it by his own girlfriend. I wonder if she gets the 500,000 THB reward? Or is that me just being cynical...

[think_too_mut]

This doesn't make sense to me. The person who was arrested was known to have robbed many tourists in the past. In all the reports I have read, the women's mobile phones were untouched. Something fishy about this I think.

It was first reported yesterday (Friday 2nd March) about 2pm BKK time. Even The Sydney Morning Herald site yesterday had a quote from police saying (from memory) "we don't believe he wanted to rob the girs and when they screamed he shot them. We are investigating if he was hired to kill them".

I haven't seen that statement in Thai press. Appears an Oz newspaper gets a better insight than the locals.

[Tolley]

I think some people are reading too much into the fact that the offender didn't rob the girls.

ergo He didn't rob the girls he is a hitman.

If he was indeed a hired hitman he might still have robbed the girls for a bit of extra cash.

The robbery went wrong and in the panic he shot the girls and ran without the loot.

Lots of permutations possible.

[LoveDaBlues]

According to the paper he went to his ex-gf's place after the shooting. He told her he shot the women when they starting screaming as he tried to rob them. He asked the ex-gf if he could sleep there for a few hours. The ex-gf was scared that if he was found there she would be linked to the crime so she went to the police.

Too many Oliver Stonies on this forum (hookers, hitmen, Russian Mafia, etc. ) just a robbery gone bad.

You'd be surprised how stupid and impulsive many low-level criminals are; they practically catch themselves.

[wpcoe]

According to the paper he went to his ex-gf's place after the shooting. He told her he shot the women when they starting screaming as he tried to rob them. He asked the ex-gf if he could sleep there for a few hours. The ex-gf was scared that if he was found there she would be linked to the crime so she went to the police.

And, yet, other news reports detail the date, time and temple location where the motorbike was found after which the gf was located and brought in for questioning.

There is such a lot of conflicting information out there.

[farangene]

This doesn't make sense to me. The person who was arrested was known to have robbed many tourists in the past. In all the reports I have read, the women's mobile phones were untouched. Something fishy about this I think.

It was first reported yesterday (Friday 2nd March) about 2pm BKK time. Even The Sydney Morning Herald site yesterday had a quote from police saying (from memory) "we don't believe he wanted to rob the girs and when they screamed he shot them. We are investigating if he was hired to kill them".

I haven't seen that statement in Thai press. Appears an Oz newspaper gets a better insight than the locals.

The first report I saw of an arrest was on Thursday evening in Bkk on the Nation website.

They reported that they had arrested the guy based on his gf's advice and that they doubted the story he was telling of a robbery only. The story also said he had tossed the gun, now it appears he sold it (or pawned it temporarily) to a friend.

Edited March 3, 2007 by farangene

[david96]

From the SMH Sydney Australia 05/03/2007.

AN unemployed Thai who has confessed to murdering two Russian women in the resort city of Pattaya may not have acted alone, the national police chief said yesterday.

Seripisut Temiyavej said police would try to find accomplices for Anuchit Lumlert, 24, who admitted to pumping bullets into Tatiana Tsimfer, 30, and Liubov Svirkova, 25.

"Although we have made some progress in arresting the culprit with the suspected motive of robbery and murder, we are still unconvinced and not satisfied," General Seripisut said. "The profile of his confessed crime does not seem to fit, raising the possibility of more possible motives and more culprits besides him."

Anuchit was arrested on Thursday. Police said he was suspected of 10 robberies in the Pattaya area and killed the women when high on drugs because they screamed.

The killer was caught in blurry pictures on a hotel security camera arriving on a motorcycle, walking through a garden to the beach, then later walking back to it. He left the women's wallets behind.

Anuchit was freed on bail in January to await trial on charges of robbing a South Korean tourist.

Police have not said why a gunman would be hired to kill the women, but media reports have pointed to inter-gang rivalry in Pattaya, where prostitutes from the former Soviet Union are common.

Source: The Sun-Herald