Police seeking warrant to nab kamnan for role in murder

POLICE investigators have asked the Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant for a Ratchaburi-based kamnan over his alleged role in the abduction and murder of 28-year-old Supaksorn Polthaisong last month, a police source revealed |yesterday.
It is alleged an abduction gang was hired by Ban Pong Police Station superintendent Colonel Amnuay Pongsawat, 58, who consulted with the kamnan known as “Sor”, who is aged in his 50s, to help arrange the team to abduct Supaksorn.
It alleged the kamnan turned Amnuay down but suggested Amnuay contact his subordinate, Niwat Suaythong, 32.
Amnuay allegedly hired Niwat and the other gang members for Bt200,000 to abduct Supaksorn from her apartment in Bangkok’s Nong Khaem district on the night of December 13.
They allegedly killed and buried her in an abandoned resort in Kanchanaburi’s Muang district where her body was found on Wednesday.
Four of seven wanted suspects – Amnuay, Niwat, Kannikar Krumram, 38, and Phumithat Phiboonsawat, 24 – were in custody yesterday, while former soldiers, Chaiyuth Benchat, 41, and Panumet Meela, 34, and former policeman Samart Saengsin, 50, were at large.
Police yesterday separately questioned Phumithat and Kannikar. Kannikar, accused of providing information to the alleged abductors, has denied all charges against her.
Police also made Phumithat do a crime re-enactment at the victim's apartment under the watch of defence lawyers.
The two suspects were then brought to Taling Chan Court where police obtained detention orders against them and objected to them being released on bail.
Amnuay, who has been suspended from his police job, and Niwat were ordered detained until January 23 and denied bail after being deemed a flight risk. There were also fears they might try to tamper with evidence.
Supaksorn’s mother Sompit Traijandaeng insisted yesterday her daughter was not a gambling addict and did not believe she borrowed Bt4 million from Amnuay’s alleged mistress Kannikar – the reason the policeman claimed as a motive for the abduction.
Sompit said she wished Supaksorn’s spirit would forgive her attackers and rest in peace without worrying about her and her younger brother. She urged the authorities to bring the culprits to justice.
Sompit said she heard about Supaksorn’s regular arguments with Kannikar and advised Supaksorn to stay away from the woman.
She claimed that Kannikar told her after Supaksorn was abducted that “a man named Loong (‘Uncle’) only took her to teach her a lesson” so Sompit did not think that they would resort to killing her daughter.
As the family was seeking a pro bono lawyer to handle the case, Sompit and ex-husband Boonchu Polthaisong met yesterday with Lawyers Council spokesman Sombat Wongkhamhaeng.
Sombat affirmed to them that the council provided legal aid in criminal and civil lawsuits in all steps, starting with the police investigation and evidence gathering and progressing to the trial.
Sombat also said the council would coordinate with related agencies, including the Rights and Liberties Protection Department and an insurance company, to secure them their entitled compensation and remedial measures.
At 3pm yesterday Sompit collected Supaksorn’s body in preparation for her funeral in Sa Kaew province.
She quoted a doctor at Police General Hospital’s morgue as saying her daughter died from asphyxiation, while the initial autopsy found no assault wounds on her body and the full autopsy results would come out in over a week.
A source at the morgue said examiners initially found no trace of a third person’s DNA under her fingernails or other parts of the body and there was no evidence she had been sexually assaulted.