S African suspect in killing of Thai businesswoman captured in Vancouver

By The Nation

 

 

A South African man – who allegedly killed a Thai jewellery businesswoman in a Bangkok hotel on Sunday before fleeing to Hong Kong – has been captured in the Canadian city of Vancouver, Immigration Bureau commissioner Pol Lt-General Surachate Hakparn said on Tuesday.

 

Police have already applied for the extradition of Mzwakhe Memela, 38, to Thailand, a process which would take two to three weeks to complete, he said.

 

Surachate credited the arrest of suspect within 48 hours of the victim’s body being discovered to the cooperation between the world’s police forces, “which also saw them attending the Thai Immigration Bureau’s ‘coffee talk’ once a month”. 

 

On Monday, Thai police – on learning that Memela had fled to Hong Kong – coordinated with Interpol and Hong Kong police in an effort to locate him.

 

Memela is accused of killing businesswoman Susama Ruenrit, 35, from Kanchanaburi, as he was seen in security-camera footage leaving her hotel room on Sunday morning. 

 

Her lifeless body – having suffered blunt-force trauma to the head – was later found at noon on Sunday by hotel staff in the room on the sixth floor of a hotel on Soi Lat Phrao 130. 

 

Although the motive for the killing and the suspect’s relationship to the victim are still under investigation, police suspect Memela went to cut a deal involving jewellery but, when negotiations went wrong, he struck and killed her.

 

Meanwhile, Susama’s grief-stricken parents and relatives are hosting a funeral for their daughter at Wat Thewasangkharam in Mueang Kanchanaburi, ahead of her cremation rite on Thursday.

 

The victim’s father, Prapreut Ruenrit, 63, recalled that Susama had left home on Saturday night to deliver an expensive jewellery item to a customer, whom she likely would be meeting at the hotel. 

 

However, he was shocked to be contacted by police on Sunday and discover that she had been killed, reportedly by an African man, whom hotel staff said used to stay at the hotel sometimes, too. 

 

Prapreut said Susama was married to a Nigerian, with whom she had three children – six-year-old twins and a four-year-old boy. 

 

Her husband and their youngest son are currently in Nigeria, he added.

 

As the family business is gem-dealing and producing decorative items to order, he said he suspected that the African suspect in the killing, whom he assumed to be the customer, had ordered many pieces before earning Susama’s trust.

 

However, he did not know what had gone so wrong that it had apparently led to his daughter’s murder. 

 

The father also said that Susama’s valuables worth Bt700,000, including more than Bt200,000-worth of gold necklaces and cash, were missing from the scene of the attack.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30366567

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-03-26

 

related story:

South African hunted after female Thai jeweler bludgeoned to death in Bangkok hotel

https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1091419-south-african-hunted-after-female-thai-jeweler-bludgeoned-to-death-in-bangkok-hotel/

 

unfortunately they'll have to take the death penalty off the table before Canada will extradite..

Quote

As the family business is gem-dealing and producing decorative items to order, he said he suspected that the African suspect in the killing, whom he assumed to be the customer, had ordered many pieces before earning Susama’s trust.

 

However, he did not know what had gone so wrong that it had apparently led to his daughter’s murder.

Maybe someone will explain to him that the incidence of robbery murders is quite high in South Africa. As a matter of course, or because the victim could identify the perpetrator.

 

Quote

The father also said that Susama’s valuables worth Bt700,000, including more than Bt200,000-worth of gold necklaces and cash, were missing from the scene of the attack.

Of course.

13 minutes ago, from the home of CC said:

unfortunately they'll have to take the death penalty off the table before Canada will extradite..

Not really, a life sentence in a Thai prison would be worse. Although foreigners tend to serve 8 years of a life sentence before being transferred to a prison in their home country.

How does this guy get captured immediately in a foreign country almost immediately, yeti red bull boy is still running around partying?

 

I think I know the answer. $

48 hours.

Well done to the Police in all Countries involved.

 

That guy would have been better off signing on an illegal fishing vessel in the Gulf for a year or so.

 

Beats prison.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How does this guy get captured immediately in a foreign country almost immediately, yeti red bull boy is still running around partying?
 
I think I know the answer. $

RedBull boy probably doesn’t have an easily identifiable ridiculous looking tuft of hair growing out of his forehead.

Tough to blend into the crowd with that thing...Lol

2 minutes ago, ShortTimed said:

 

RedBull boy probably doesn’t have an easily identifiable ridiculous looking tuft of hair growing out of his forehead.

Tough to blend into the crowd with that thing...Lol

 

....RedBull boy has wings though!????

Another sample of a classy very good man that comes to Thailand to spend his high earnings and share his great mind(very well hidden) with the Thai people. 

So his name is Memela? In the other report that was his fake name in the passport. 

 

Condolences to the grieving family. May she rest in peace. At the very least they have the suspect and if guilty he will pay for the crime.

I was thinking also about the Red Bull kid

10 hours ago, Andrew65 said:

....RedBull boy has wings though!????

...and a rich, influential family maybe?

39 minutes ago, TheFishman1 said:

I was thinking also about the Red Bull kid

That's more than the RTP were doing. ????

10 hours ago, Andrew65 said:

....RedBull boy has wings though!????

Big Joke this...????

5 hours ago, balo said:

So his name is Memela? In the other report that was his fake name in the passport. 

 

His real name is Johnnkwerre Odoemenam, the passport was different. Check out his facebook site.

13 hours ago, Andrew65 said:

Not really, a life sentence in a Thai prison would be worse. Although foreigners tend to serve 8 years of a life sentence before being transferred to a prison in their home country.

He should face the death penalty on appearance alone !

Mr. T's son, T Jr.

Edited March 27, 20197 yr by NCC1701A

Mr T???

I was thinking that it seemed unusual for Saffers to murder, then I saw the picture..........

If he had just made it to California he could have received sanctuary status & got to vote in the next election.  Bummer.

Wow how fast was that?

obviously wasn’t an heir to a soft drink company.

13 hours ago, daboyz1 said:

How does this guy get captured immediately in a foreign country almost immediately, yeti red bull boy is still running around partying?

 

I think I know the answer. $

$$$$$$$$

lots of

$$$$$$$$

13 hours ago, daboyz1 said:

How does this guy get captured immediately in a foreign country almost immediately, yeti red bull boy is still running around partying?

 

I think I know the answer. $

Uhmm, first word begins with b and second word e

Any DNA evidence at the scene to point to him as the potential murderer, or just the fact he was on CCTV leaving the scene? 

 

Also with the open adjoining room door that was previously reported, has this 3rd person been definitely ruled out of the investigation?

How would the victim's father know the value of the stolen goods? And have any of the stolen goods been recovered from the SA suspect? 

 

Lots of unanswered questions which I presume will come out during the extradition hearing.. 

Funny how it did not take the RTP two weeks to translate the documents necessary for the Interpol request this time, unlike Red Bull Boy. It's astonishing how efficient the RTP can be when they want to.

2 hours ago, Dukeleto said:

Condolences to the grieving family. May she rest in peace. At the very least they have the suspect and if guilty he will pay for the crime.

Must have known something about him to allow the daughter to travel to Bangkok with items amounting to quite a value on her own !

15 hours ago, from the home of CC said:

unfortunately they'll have to take the death penalty off the table before Canada will extradite..

 

Very unlikely that they would seek the death penalty in this case, it is normally only sought in cases of aggravated murder, and even then it is always reduced to life when a guilty plea has been entered, or failing that, it is almost always commuted on appeal.

Is that little black rectangle covering his eyes supposed to render him unrecognisable ....... Jeez 

Is that little black rectangle covering his eyes supposed to render him unrecognisable ....... Jeez 

I thought those were sunglasses.