Family tragedy: Father’s triple murder-suicide linked to loan scam

A family tragedy occurred when a father, armed with a utility knife, killed his wife and two children in their three-storey townhouse in Bang Phli district of Bangkok Metropolitan Area province Samut Prakan. The horrific murder and attempted suicide were most likely prompted by a fraudulent loan scheme that landed the family in 7-figure debt.

Police Captain Sathamon Prasertsuwan, an investigative officer at Bang Kaeo Police Station, was informed yesterday, around 1am, of a murder case involving multiple fatalities within a residence on Narm Daeng Wat Road, Bang Kaeo Subdistrict, Bang Phli District.

Upon arrival, authorities discovered the lifeless bodies of 44 year old Wipaporn, and her 9 and 13 year old sons, each with deep gashes on their necks and various parts of their bodies.

The second floor held another grim scene, furthering the tragedy of this family. The body of a 13 year old boy, and the gravely injured father, 41 year old Sanchai, with severe wounds to his neck and wrists. He was promptly given first aid before being rushed to Paolo Samut Prakan Hospital. A blood-stained utility knife was found at the scene.

A work colleague of the murderer, 46 year old Tarinee, revealed that Sanchai called her around midnight confessing to the murders. Upon hearing the news, she immediately alerted those living nearby and rushed to the scene and found the horrifying sight of the deceased mother and children.

Tarinee revealed that Sanchai had previously confided in her about his financial issues. He had guaranteed a car loan for someone, which had led to a court case and the threat of his house being confiscated.

He managed to negotiate with the loan company to reduce the interest to 490,000 baht, which, combined with the costs for legal proceedings, amounted to an initial 600,000 baht. Though he had some savings, he was still short, reported Sanook.

As Sanchai was preparing to take a loan to settle the matter, his wife fell prey to a fraudulent loan scheme run by a call centre gang, leading to debts exceeding 1.7 million baht. She was under daily pressure from creditors.

This likely served as the catalyst for Sanchai’s drastic actions.

Wirun, another colleague who received the news from Tarinee, rushed to the scene but arrived too late. He stated that Sanchai was generally calm, didn’t gamble, drink or smoke, and was a hard worker. He expressed shock and anger towards the call centre gang.

Officers took photographs and gathered evidence from the scene. They also coordinated with forensic experts and coroners to further investigate the bodies.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Rangsan Kamsuk, acting superintendent of Bang Kaeo Police Station, stated that the wife had filed a complaint last Friday about being swindled by a fraudulent loan app. She initially borrowed 100,000 baht but was tricked into transferring over 1 million baht to various accounts for processing fees.

The authorities had frozen the accounts involved and were in the process of tracing the culprits. They vowed to swiftly bring the call centre gang to justice following the unfortunate family tragedy.

If you or anyone you know is in emotional distress, please contact the Samaritans of Thailand 24-hour hotline: 02 713 6791 (English), 02 713 6793 (Thai) or the Thai Mental Health Hotline at 1323 (Thai). Please also contact your friends or relatives at this time if you have feelings of loneliness, stress or depression. Seek help.

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