AYUTTHAYA: Two people have been arrested on suspicion of murdering three people and burying their bodies in Ayutthaya province.
The bodies found buried in a paddy field in Maha Rat district on Monday were probably victims of drug trafficking, police said yesterday.
A criminal background check showed all three had been involved in drug cases, said Pol Maj Gen Sutthi Phuangphikul, chief of the Ayutthaya provincial police.
The dead men were identified as Somphal Boonsanoon, 39, Phairach Homcha-iam, 38, and Samruam Wong-aksorn, 32, who were friends and lived in tambon of Ban Na, Pol Maj Gen Sutthi said.
The bodies were sent to Thammasat University Hospital for a post-mortem examination to confirm the exact cause of death. Police investigators believe the three were murdered and their bodies later buried in the field, he said.
Investigators suspect the victims were killed because of a conflict they may have had with drug traffickers. Somphal had recently been released from prison after serving a sentence for a drug offence, and eight methamphetamine tablets were found on the body of Samruam.
All three bodies had gunshot wounds, he said.
Later that day, police arrested Karis Nimnoi, 46, and Charun Sangwiset, 46, on suspicion of murdering the three men. Both suspects allegedly confessed they killed and buried the three over a business dispute.
According to police, the suspects said they were angry because Samruam had allegedly cheated them out of 6,000 speed pills in a deal. They then killed him and then Phairach and Somphal because they witnessed the crime.
The bodies were discovered on Monday by a villager about 200 metres off the road. The man reportedly noticed burned objects in an area of ground that had been freshly dug.
On closer look the man decided they were the parts of burned mobile phones. His suspicions aroused, he reported the objects to authorities who dug up the freshly turned soil and found the first body. The two other bodies were found buried about 500m away in the paddy field.
