Phuket –
Senior officials from the Royal Thai Police arrived at Phuket this morning, February 7th, to join the investigation around a foreign man who was shot more than 10 times to death at a pool villa on the island last Friday.
Based on a passport found at the scene the man was initially believed to be Canadian but later information seems to point to that passport being fake and the man actually being a different foreign national but raised in Canada for much of his life until being deported in 2016 for crimes relating to assault and alleged gang connections.
Deputy national police chief Suwat Chaengyodsuk led the national police team to attend a meeting with the investigation team from the Phuket Provincial Police Division for updates and leads in the case.
Initially, the investigation exposed that the victim was reportedly involved in an illegal business conflict. According to the investigation with the Canadian authorities, whose embassy representatives attended the meeting, the 32-year-old man had his Canadian nationality removed and was reportedly exiled due to his history with a criminal organization with records of illegal drugs trading, human trafficking, casinos, etc. It was not yet confirmed by the Royal Thai Police which nationality he was holding during the incident, however, the foreign press has reported the man as actually being an Indian national. TPN notes this report has not been confirmed nor denied by Thai police, only stating the investigation was ongoing.
Two suspects that were caught in nearby CCTV footage were presumingly the alleged shooters. The police believed that the suspects were still on the island, were likely foreign nationals, and were in the process of identifying and tracking both of them for interrogation.
Police stated that countless footprints were also seen at an abandoned house nearby the villa and in the sand along the way and around the scene, presumably belonging to the shooters who may have been discreetly observing the victim before the day of the crime.
The police investigation also revealed that the foreign man would visit and spend time at the villa every month, each time for 15 days, with a rental rate of 100,000 baht per month.
He would drive out dozens of times a day to unknown destinations with two female foreign friends, who have yet to be identified by police. He also had several expensive belongings worth millions of baht according to the Royal Thai Police, including brand name bags, 3 mobile phones, and an MG-brand rental car.
This is still a developing story and we will keep a close eye on any further updates.
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