Australian man arrested in Thailand after 17-year-old’s body found in suitcase | Thailand
An Australian man has been arrested at a Thai airport in connection with the alleged murder of a 17-year-old girl whose naked body was found inside a suitcase, according to local police.
Man, According to local media reports, the 46-year-old passenger was stopped at around 9.30pm on Friday as he was preparing to travel to Perth on a Jetstar flight.
The footage shows Thai immigration officers detaining the man at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport.
Police arrested the man after investigating his alleged connection with the Thai teenager who was found in a suitcase behind the Floating Market in Pattaya on Thailand’s eastern Gulf coast, according to a statement posted on social media by Pattaya city police.
A police official in the resort city of Pattaya told Agence France-Presse that the suspect, who denied the allegation that the young man was kidnapped and killed, was detained after interrogation.
Investigators are awaiting autopsy results and “other evidence” in the case before filing criminal charges, the official said.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, added that the charges could include child abduction, murder, concealment of a body and “abduction of a minor for sexual purposes.”
Police claimed CCTV footage showed the suspect entering an apartment in the seaside resort of Pattaya with the 17-year-old Thai girl in the early hours of Thursday.
Reports said the man emerged from the building a few hours later with a large black bag, which he then carried on the back of a motorcycle.
Police found the suitcase near a railway line on Friday and discovered the victim’s body inside, bearing signs of violence, according to local website Pattaya News.
In a statement on social media, the police also confirmed that an Australian citizen who was allegedly trying to flee the country regarding the incident was detained at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport.
Pattaya 24 News shared CCTV footage of the girl holding hands with a white-looking man while waiting for an elevator shortly after 3.30am on Thursday. They also shared CCTV footage of the man taking luggage out of the building.
Pattaya city police station requested a seizure notice to immigration officers at the airport to prevent the man investigating his alleged connection with the teenager from leaving Thailand, Nation Thailand reported.
Police interrogated the suspect, who then allegedly provided information about where the bag was thrown.
“After receiving the information, Immigration officers coordinated with investigators from Pattaya City Police Station, who rushed to inspect the location. The officers later found the body. [the teenage girl] Local media stated that it was based on information given during interrogation.
Police arrested the man on charges related to murder and hiding a body, according to the Nation.
A spokesperson for Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed the department was “providing consular assistance to an Australian detained in Thailand.”
“Due to our confidentiality obligations we are unable to comment further.”
