Four transgender women have been arrested in Thailand after a British man fell to his death from a hotel balcony.
Naami Keyghobadi, from Leeds, was pronounced dead at hospital in Pattaya on Tuesday evening.
The 28-year-old solicitor was on holiday in the popular beach resort after arriving in Thailand on 4 December.
Mr Keyghobadi had been spending the evening at the Dolphin House guesthouse when he plunged from a fourth-floor balcony at around 7.30pm local time, Khasod English reported.
He was found lying on his back with a broken leg, ribs and internal injuries, and was pronounced dead in hospital shortly afterwards.
“There are witnesses who said he fell down on his own, but we are not convinced,” Colonel Anukul Preedayuth, from the Pattaya City Police, was quoted as saying.
“We are looking for more witnesses and evidence. The matter is under investigation.”
The four women, referred to as “ladyboys” by Thai newspapers, were arrested at the scene and are being questioned.
Police said they tested positive for drug use and will be prosecuted accordingly, but have not yet been charged in relation to the death.
The Bangkok Post reported that the women told officers an argument had broken out about payment for “services” they provided before he ran to the balcony and started to climb the wall.
They claimed they attempted to pull the man to safety but failed to stop him falling.
A statement from the Keyghobadi family said: “We are obviously very distressed by the news of his death and are concerned that there will be unhelpful speculation about the circumstances in which he died.”
He is listed as the director of solicitors' firm Leyton UK Partners LLP, which issued a statement describing him as a "highly valued colleague", saying the company's thoughts were with his loved ones.
A spokesperson for the Foreign Office confirmed Mr Keyghobadi's death and said British authorities were in contact with Thai police.
“We are providing support to the family of a British national who died in Thailand on 15 December,” she said. “We are also in contact with local authorities regarding the death.”
