Songkhla: – A team of Crime Suppression Police investigators have been dispatched to Hat Yai district to look into the suspicious death of drug suspect Theerapat Serikiatdilok, 33.

The case came to light after Theerapat’s father Somchai Serikiatdilok, 55, lodged a complaint last week voicing suspicions on police brutality and on his son’s cause of death.

The government’s Damrong Chai Centre forwarded the complaint to national police chief General Somyos Pumpanmuang.

Based on the complaint, a team of 10 provincial drug suppression policemen detained Theerapat at a police safe house on March 7.

Somchai said the policemen wanted to coerce a confession on the charge for possession of illicit drugs although his son had no history of drug abuse.

He said as he tried to locate his son, he learned about the forced disappearance involving police.

Subsequently, the drug suppression team told him to pay 1 million in exchange for his son’s release, he said.

While he was negotiating the reduction of the payment to 300,000 baht, he was informed on March 9 that his son hung himself and died.

The preliminary autopsy report found bruises and broken ribs on his son’s body, he said, adding he wanted to clear lingering doubts on how and why his son had died.

He said he suspected his son was the victim of brutality inflicted by the 10 policemen and that he would initiate criminal proceedings after getting the full autopsy report.

Reacting to the complaint, Somyos issued a transfer order for the 10 and Songkhla police chiefMaj General Ampol Buarabporn to pave way for the investigation.

After the job transfer took effect on Sunday, Ampol paid a visit to Somchai expressing regrets on the incident.

Following their meeting, Somchai said he did not suspect Ampol’s involvement and that he just wanted the 10 policemen punished for their brutality.

he didn't sell enough yaba for the cops and didn't get the 100 k a day boundery, then u get hit and killed.

Nothing wrong here. Standard police procedures to torture people in safe houses and demand ransom.