Mysterious vanishings take a twist: New development emerges in Bangkok case

There’s been a new development on the sudden disappearance of five individuals from South Thailand’s Nakhon Si Thammarat province two months ago. When images from a CCTV were released it appeared that they had settled down in Bangkok’s Lat Phrao district.

The missing individuals comprised of a mother named Ussa, Ussa’s daughter Beam, Beam’s half-sister Fasai, Beam’s friend Rung, and Ussa’s nephew Ford. Ussa’s sister, Pen Sri, recounted how a man known as Bank had ingratiated himself with the family as Beam’s boyfriend. Bank was charming and claimed he was wealthy and had influence, even promising to build them a new house. Despite Pen Sri’s hesitations, Ussa welcomed Bank, certain he had no ill motives.

According to Pen Sri, Bank would regularly take the family out in a van, driven by a man named Noppadol, and kept their mobiles with him. He discouraged them from sharing posts on social media about their whereabouts. Bank, who had two guns, paid for nothing. Ussa bore the brunt of the expenses.

Rung’s aunt, Kesorn, wasn’t sure what business her nephew was doing with Ussa’s daughter and Beam’s boyfriend, Bank. She knew only what Rung chose to share. However, on May 8, Rung received a call from a tourist’s forgotten mobile at a petrol station and called Kesorn, saying he was in Kanchanaburi and would be home soon.

The five individuals were reported, thanks to the CCTV footage, to be living in a mansion on Soi Ladprao 130, Bangkok. Locals stated they looked normal, speaking and playing with each other. When news spread and pictures were released, Bank drove a black pickup truck to relocate them from the mansion, reported Sanook.

Supoj, Ussa’s husband, spoke with his wife on May 8, the day Rung called Kesorn. She called him to ask for money which he denied and questioned why she wasn’t letting their children attend school.

Supoj believed Ussa could have left due to financial stress from the loans she’d taken from Bank. No one could understand why the children had been dragged into the situation.

Meanwhile, Noppadol, Bank’s driver, spoke about his employer’s fraudulent activities, saying that Bank was involved in auction work and ran petrol stations. Noppadol stopped receiving his salary in December 2022. He mentioned that all the mobile phones Bank kept, had been pawned.

Pen Sri said that Ussa had recently called her, insisting that she should not go to the police. She said she was not involved in anything illegal and abruptly hung up.

Lawyer Ronnarong explained that if the missing individuals had gone willingly, it was their right. However, it’s understandable for the families to be worried. Eventually, Noppadol saw signs that Ussa was facing financial strain having borrowed money for Bank’s business, involving petrol stations. The real question everyone was contemplating was, why involve the children?

Pen Sri and Kesorn ultimately expressed their wishes for the children – Rung, Fasai, and Ford – to return home. They still had an education waiting for them, irrespective of where Ussa chose to go. Whether Ussa was travelling with someone or not was her decision.

The matter has yet to be resolved.