Man kidnaps and murders 5 year old boy in Chiang Mai

Police arrested a man who kidnapped a five year old boy from a school in the northern province of Chiang Mai and murdered him. The claimed motive behind the murder was revenge after a romantic relationship ended.

A 30 year old man filed a complaint at Meuang Chiang Mai Police Station on Tuesday after his five year old son went missing from Siping Mueang School. He asked for access to the school’s security camera, which revealed an unidentified man picking up his son at 3.30pm that day.

Officers further reviewed CCTV cameras along a road nearby the school until they were able to identify the suspect as 29 year old Jai Kongkham, who is a Shan national living in Thailand. The suspect was seen riding a black-red Honda Click motorcycle with the abducted boy, heading towards the Hang Dong district.

The officer then discovered the lifeless body of the boy floating in a pond near a village in the Hang Dong district. He still wore his student uniform and had a neck wound, suggesting he had been strangled.

Following intense efforts by the police, Jai Kongkham was eventually apprehended and brought in for questioning. Jai informed that he picked the boy up from school and took him to an isolated area in the Hang Don district. On the spot, he beat the boy on the back of his neck until he lost consciousness and discarded the body into the pond.

After being questioned about the motive, Jai claimed that his actions were driven by anger against the boy’s parents. He explained that he dated the younger sister of the boy’s mother for a year. However, the boy’s parents pressured him and his girlfriend until they had to break up last month.

Jai apologised to the boy’s family by saying “Sorry” but refused to discuss it with the police in more detail.

The details surrounding the relationship remain unclear, as neither the boy’s parents nor his aunt have come forth with additional information on the matter.

Investigating officers reported that they were not convinced by the murderer’s confession and will continue to question him until they draw a satisfactory conclusion to the boy’s murder.