Police close in on foreign gang murdering Spanish businessman

[webfact]

Police close in on foreign gang murdering Spanish businessman



BANGKOK: -- Metropolitan police now are confident to arrest a foreign gang responsible for the brutal murder of a Spanish businessman and dismembering of his bodies in several parts and dumped into the Chao Phraya river.

They now set a 48 hour deadline for the capture of the gang which might be assisted by some locals.

They speculate that the motive for the crime was theft.

Police identified the Spanish man as Mr David Bernat.

His body parts were apparently dumped into the Chao Phraya River where they have been periodically spotted from January 30–February 3.

So far 7 pieces of the body have been recovered.

Chief investigator Pol Gen Panya Mamen, special advisor to the Royal Thai Police Commissioner, said the police are in possession of Mr David’s fingerprints and DNA records which came about after his relatives gave them to forensic examiners in order to match them with the recovered body parts.

Investigators believe that a gang of criminals had committed the murder of the Spanish national on January 25.

He was believed to have been abducted and was forced to make an almost 4 million baht transfers from his account in Singapore to a local account, the chief investigator said.

Records show that he had been forced to make a number of withdrawals from several ATM machines as well as from a several branches of the Siam Commercial Bank.

“As far as we can we can tell so far, the motive behind the crimes was theft. The victim was apparently forced to make monetary transfers and was killed to gag him. His body was then dismembered and disposed off separately hoping to confuse authorities.”

Yesterday he called a meeting with investigators and set a deadline of 48 hours for the capture of the suspects.

He speculated that the suspects were still at large in the country and had planned their crime in every detail.

He also believed there was more than one suspect and they were well organized and had planned the crime in every detail.

But he was confident that the police will be able to bring the perpetrators into custody very soon.

Investigators looking into the victims travel records have uncovered that Mr. David had entered Thailand on January 19 at around 8.00 am in the morning at Suvarnabhumi International Airport. He was last seen on January 20.

Police investigators yesterday carried out a search of a condominium in Sukhumvit district where Mr David was residing.

While there they discovered a number of incriminating evidence such as bank transfer records and telephone records but believe that the dismemberment did not occur on the premises.

The first severed limb discovered was a right arm which was severed at the shoulder. It was approximately 60 cm in length and as wrapped in a clear adhesive tape from the wrist to the elbow.

It was sighted floating near a boat pier at the rear of the Wat Kharuhabodhi temple in Bang Plat district.

Only one day after the first sighting 3 more human limbs were discovered.

The first was in Nonthaburi province on the outskirts of Bangkok when a lower right leg was found floating at the Wat Tamnak Tai temple boat pier.

A human head that was placed in a black thrash bag wrapped in masking tape was later found floating in the river near the Wat Choeng Laen temple.

The final piece was a hairy chested upper torso found floating around the Upper Wat Pho Thong temple boat pier.

A day following this, an upper right leg was sighted floating underneath the Rama 5 Bridge and a left foot was sighted floating in front of the boat pier of the Wat Kroen temple in Pathumthani province.

The final piece was found today when an upper left leg disposed off in a black thrash bag was also found in Pathumthani province.

Investigators believe that the victim was killed between January 25– 27 and was believed to have been forced to make the monetary transfers before being murdered. The body was then dismembered to make disposal more convenient.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/149666


-- Thai PBS 2016-02-05

[SoFarAndNear]

So where is the indication that he has been abducted by a "foreign" gang? And why they set themselves deadlines? Isn't it more important to investigate accurate instead of hast...

Edited February 5, 2016 by SoFarAndNear

[bangkokfrog]

So a foreign gang carries out a robbery in which a man is murdered for the princely sum of $112,000 and then transfer the money to a Thai bank account? Mmmm. Sounds a likely story. Well done BIB !!!!

[JAG]

DNA - which in the case of the police here means Do Nod in Agreement

Anyway, no Thai could do something like that. ..

[Bluespunk]

So where is the indication that he has been abducted by a "foreign" gang? And why they set themselves deadlines? Isn't it more important to investigate accurate instead of hast...

Question 1: Video footage from ATM withdrawals?

Question 2: Great point.

Question 3: Intentionally ironic?

Edited February 5, 2016 by Bluespunk

[kkup]

I hope some "foreign gang" don't take a fall for the truth.

[PaPiPuPePo]

So where is the indication that he has been abducted by a "foreign" gang? And why they set themselves deadlines? Isn't it more important to investigate accurate instead of hast...

Simple, no Thai would commit a crime like that. I thought that was made crystal clear last year on Koh Tao, didn't you get the memo?

[phil2]

He must have been accompanied into SCB!

[SOTIRIOS]

.....'might be assisted by some locals'....

...considering most foreigners I know can barely order food...let alone...... get to the airport without incident.....I would think so....

[leeneeds]

dental records maybe , unless a new DNA record has been started in Spain, or was a swab given,

[Deli]

Welcome to the Muppets Show

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

Hmmmm, let me think. Who has a track record of kidnapping people and making them withdraw around this same sum of money??

Sounds like many stories we have heard in the past with the exception of the dismembered body.

Sounds like someone is putting in more effort into covering their tracks.

[upena]

When will the RTP pay themselves the reward money?

[HerbalEd]

If the police do indeed actually know it was a "foreign" gang, then it wouldn't take 48 hours to bring them in. "Police close in" .... NOT.

[never me]

When will the RTP pay themselves the reward money?

Not long now,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,please just wait a minute.

[never me]

The RTP are busy in the fields looking for new scapegoats.

[mrrizzla]

Cameras from the ATMs should prove extremely vital.

Linked to an account in Singapore, foreign gangs? Chinese triads? This guy was Spanish and I doubt any western European gangs have a serious foothold here, Russian? Burmese?

Why are they so sure about this?

[NCC1701A]

48 hours? thanks for the warning.

"Yesterday he called a meeting with investigators and set a deadline of 48 hours for the capture of the suspects."

OK big boss, what we do now?

"He speculated that the suspects were still at large in the country and had planned their crime in every detail.

He also believed there was more than one suspect and they were well organized and had planned the crime in every detail."

good writing. so we are clear, in every detail? got it? ok.

Edited February 5, 2016 by NCC1701A

[rethaier]

DNA - which in the case of the police here means Do Nod in Agreement

Anyway, no Thai could do something like that. ..

"Anyway, no Thai could do something like that. ." Isn't this phrase getting a bit old? Do YOU have ANY original thoughts?

[johndudorn]

dental records maybe , unless a new DNA record has been started in Spain, or was a swab given,

Chief investigator Pol Gen Panya Mamen, special advisor to the Royal Thai Police Commissioner, said the police are in possession of Mr David’s fingerprints and DNA records which came about after his relatives gave them to forensic examiners in order to match them with the recovered body parts.

[trogers]

Sounds like some accountant of laundered funds being caught and dealt with...

[PaullyW]

DNA - which in the case of the police here means Do Nod in Agreement

Anyway, no Thai could do something like that. ..

"Anyway, no Thai could do something like that. ." Isn't this phrase getting a bit old? Do YOU have ANY original thoughts?

It's not getting old when it REMAINS the guarantee across Thai officialdom that if a foreigner can be blamed (whether justifiably or not), he will be.

It will get old when Thailand has changed so much and for so long that it is irrelevant

[Buddumber]

so there you have it. if you want to open a John Smith bank account, SCB is the place to do it.

[swifty5x5]

It must be a foreign gang because it was well thought out.

[Bluespunk]

Sounds like some accountant of laundered funds being caught and dealt with...

Really, how so?

[saminoz]

dental records maybe , unless a new DNA record has been started in Spain, or was a swab given,

Chief investigator Pol Gen Panya Mamen, special advisor to the Royal Thai Police Commissioner, said the police are in possession of Mr David’s fingerprints and DNA records which came about after his relatives gave them to forensic examiners in order to match them with the recovered body parts.

At the risk of sounding crass, I believe that the RTP are in possession of the fingers, not just fingerprints!

This is shaping up to be a typical RTP up.

Are they a bunch of amateurish morons? (One might have said that they are but I am told that by making it a question it isn't defamatory, merely inquisitive!)

Edited February 5, 2016 by saminoz

[lostmebike]

Had to be a foreign gang, didn't it?

Case solved!

Based on obvious, compelling evidence no doubt.

[iReason]

"...might be assisted by some locals." ??

Boy, they have sanitized that theory right quick.

From an earlier story and direct quote by Chief Investigator Police.Gen. Panya Maman:

“We tend to believe there were Thai nationals involved since the murder was so outrageous.”

http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1454582453&typecate=06&section=

Edited February 5, 2016 by iReason

[gandalf12]

Why wuld they cut his body up if it was theft? Doesnt make a lot of sense

[stickylies]

Bkk actually is the hub of asian/se Asian criminals. For once it is a hub. Foreign criminals is possible. Note to self: Never tell people how much money is in bank savings...