A Spanish man has been arrested in Cambodia over the murder and dismemberment of a man whose body parts were found in the Chao Phraya River.
Artur Segarra, 36, the prime suspect in the murder of fellow Spanish national David Bernat, was arrested last night in Cambodian beach resort town Sihanoukville.
Cambodian authorities said Segarra was trying to escape the country via sea, Thai PBS reported.
Khaosod English reported that Thai police are flying to the border with Cambodia to retrieve the suspect.
Police believe Bernat was abducted and extorted before he was killed by suffocation, dating his death between Jan. 25 and Jan. 27.
Six body parts were retrieved from the Chao Phraya River, beginning Jan. 30.
Segarra’s Thai girlfriend Pritsana San-ubon told Surin police he had been staying with her in Surin’s Muang district since Jan. 31 and had left on Saturday. She denied involvement in the murder, Thai PBS reported.
Police named Segarra as the main suspect after they discovered that THB37 million had been transferred into his bank account from Bernat’s Singapore bank account.
After he was named as a suspect, Segarra made large cash withdrawals in two Thai provinces, Khaosod English reported.
Police have also said they believe more people were involved in the crime due to its “outrageous” nature, including both Spanish and Thai perpetrators.
Related:
Cops say ‘foreign gang’ behind murder of dismembered man found in Chao Phraya
Body parts in Chao Phraya river are from Spanish businessman, say cops
Cops confirm body parts found in Chao Phraya belong to same person
Two more body parts found in Nonthaburi, Pathumthani
Human head, torso, limbs found in different locations of Chao Phraya River
