Moroccan man arrested in Turkey for Chiang Mai murder
Interpol arrested a Moroccan national in Turkey for allegedly murdering his Thai LGBTQ lover, a beauty surgeon, in Chiang Mai last December.
Bilal Chenfinu fled Thailand immediately after the crime, prompting an international manhunt and extradition proceedings to bring him back to face charges.
Mueang Chiang Mai Police Chief Police Colonel Pratchaya Thisala confirmed that 30 year old Chenfinu was apprehended by Interpol officers at a hotel in Turkey.
“The foreign division of the Royal Thai Police is now coordinating with Turkish authorities to extradite Chenfinu back to Thailand.”
An arrest warrant was issued by the Chiang Mai Court for the murder of Thitikarn (surname withheld), whose body was discovered on December 6 last year.
The tragic incident unfolded after security camera footage revealed that Chenfinu spent the night with Thitikarn at the building where the body was later found.
On December 4, the pair were seen entering the premises together. However, the footage also captured Chenfinu leaving alone, driving Thitikarn’s car out of the building at 2am on December 5. He was then recorded heading towards Chiang Mai International Airport.
Chenfinu left Thailand on AirAsia Flight FD515 at 6am on December 5, just hours before Thitikarn’s body was discovered.
The victim was a respected beauty surgeon at a clinic in Chiang Mai, and the murder sent shockwaves through the local LGBTQ community.
The arrest was made possible through international cooperation, with Interpol tracking Chenfinu to Turkey, where he was taken into custody. Thai government officials are now working closely with Turkish officials to expedite the extradition process, reported The Nation.
In similar news, a South Korean court sentenced three men to lengthy prison terms for the brutal murder of a compatriot near Pattaya last year. The Changwon District Court handed life sentences to two men, aged 28 and 40, while a third, aged 27, received 25 years.
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