The gang rape and murder of a young mother of two late last month — last seen being carried unconscious from a bar — has already resulted in four arrests, but police say at least two more people may be involved.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Chettha Keechawan yesterday told Khaosod that police are continuing to gather evidence in the death of 21-year-old “Nong Gift,” and that more arrest warrants could be forthcoming soon.
Chettha said two more people are suspected of having joined the gang between the time she was taped being carried by four men from the Orbit Pub in central Chantaburi province and her subsequent rape and murder in a fruit orchard some 40 kilometers away.
The four men arrested on Wednesday have been identified as Nattapong Saenkla, 24; Pattawee Boontham, 23; Panya Jansomdee, 18, and Surasit Jaikammee, 24.
The victim, Umaporn Hoisang, widely referred to in the media by her nickname “Nong Gift,” went to Orbit Pub with her three friends on Friday, May 25. She parted with them later in the night and was found dead the next morning in a local fruit orchard.
Chilling footage of Umaporn, a cosmetics seller and mother of two, being carried unconscious from the pub by four men — with no one stopping them — received attention from international media.
Another woman, who can be seen assisting the four men, told police that she was not with the gang, but had merely stepped in to help the unconscious woman and had been told that the victim was an acquaintance of one of the men.
According to a friend, identified as “Air,” who had accompanied Umaporn to the bar that night, the deceased was a “lovely person.” Air said she sent Umaporn messages on Facebook before she disappeared, adding that their group routinely left the bar separately when they went out together.
Police are now carrying out examinations of the body to determine the exact cause of death and whether or not she had been drugged.
Meanwhile, the victim’s family said in a Friday interview that they suspected foul play in Nong Gift’s murder, after police found that that her bank book contained millions of baht despite her modest salary of just THB10,000 (US$310) per month.
The family’s lawyer, Songkran Atchariyasap, said in the interview: “We wonder who was the person who transferred the money, and who she withdrew the money for. Did she happen to know more than she should have — so that someone had to get rid of her? Her brother and grandmother want to know the truth.”
The police are currently investigating where the money came from.