SYDNEY: Australian police have found the car driven by a Thai national whose battered body was discovered bound and gagged on the side of a Sydney road.
Wachira "Mario" Phetmang was last seen alive on May 25 at a gas station in the Sydney suburb of South Hurstville driving a silver 2004 Hyundai SUV.
Police said Thursday the car had been found after a public appeal for information on Wednesday.
Forensic specialists are examining the car for clues. Police have appealed to the public for any videos or sightings of Wachira and the car between May 25 and June 6, when his body was found in the Sydney suburb of Olympic Park. His body was discovered wrapped in material in a rain culvert next to Homebush Bay Drive.
Busadee Santipitaks, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the identity of the man was confirmed to be Wachira Phetmang, a Thai national.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has received a report from the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Sydney about the incident.
The consulate was contacted by the Auburn Police Area Command, which has confirmed details of the case. Wachira, a Thai national, had become a permanent resident of Australia, she said.
The cause of death is under investigation, she said, adding the funeral will be held in Australia.
Relatives of Wachira, who was 33, have contacted the Royal Thai consulate and asked the Royal Thai Police (RTP) to have Australian police send his fingerprints so they can carry out funeral rites.
