Chon Buri: Loan-sharking couple arrested following deadly shooting

A couple, involved in a loan-sharking gang, were arrested following a shooting that resulted in the death of a 45 year old fruit vendor named Itthipol (surname withheld).

The incident occurred near a convenience store on Sukhumvit Road, Soi 109, Plutaluang, Sattahip, Chon Buri. The suspects, 29 year old Somchai Homkaraket, and Ratchadaphon Sirirat, also 29 years old, were apprehended in Bangsaphan Noi, Prachuap Khiri Khan.

Today, at the Plutaluang Police Station in Sattahip, Chon Buri, Kamson Khamtun Kaew, the station chief, together with Chusak Nanthithanyathada, Deputy District Officer of Sattahip, questioned Ratchadaphon (surname withheld), one of the culprits involved in the shooting of Itthipol.

Ratchadaphon confessed that she had lent her own money to around five individuals in the Sattahip area, not borrowed from any investor. On the day of the incident, she had gone to collect a debt from Itthipol but was driven away by him, causing her to lose potential sales.

Usually, she would collect money around 9am, but due to Itthipol’s resistance, the collection time was delayed to 2pm, then 4pm, and eventually became a daily routine at 7pm.

She asked Itthipol if she could increase the collection amount, but he responded with verbal abuse. The altercation escalated to the point where Ratchadaphon’s partner gave her a gun and told her to shoot. In a fit of rage, she fired two shots at the fruit vendor.

After the incident, she felt remorseful but carried the weapon while fleeing. The police arrested her in Prachuap Khiri Khan, though she couldn’t recall the exact location. The weapon, a 38mm revolver, was purchased off Facebook a long time ago by her partner, reported KhaoSod.

Later in the afternoon, Thawatchai Sritong, the Governor of Chon Buri, was scheduled to visit the Plutaluang Police Station to investigate the incident further. The investigation will also include the origin of the weapon and the issue of the loan shark investor to determine if they belong to an influential group.

Legal procedures will be carried out against all involved parties. The police are currently interrogating the two suspects. The weapon is still missing as the arrest site was a tall grass field. Other aspects of the case, including the examination of financial transactions to expand the loan issue, are under investigation.

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