Thai man arrested for murder and robbery of 73 year old woman

Police arrested a Thai man who murdered and robbed a 73 year old woman last night in the central province of Ayutthaya. Angry locals attempted to lynch the suspect.

Neighbours reported the death of the 73 year old woman, Jira Mangkornphan, to Phranakhon Si Ayutthaya Police Station at 6.30am today, September 23. She was found dead in her home, bearing wounds to her left eye, nose, head, and back of her neck.

Police investigated the death and reported that Jira died about three to five hours before her discovery. Signs of struggle and theft were evident in her home.

Jira’s neighbour told police that she heard Jira hitting the wooden floor of her home as if she needed help but did not go to check on her. The neighbour went to Jira’s home at 5am to invite her to pray but received no response.

The house was locked from the outside, raising further suspicions, so the neighbour called Jira’s daughter, who lived in another province, to the scene. They broke into the house and found Jira’s body in red pyjamas.

Jira’s daughter, 47 year old Arisa, revealed to ThaiRath that cash, a mobile phone, and gold accessories were missing. Arisa insisted that her mother did not engage in conflict with anyone and did not think negatively of others.

Rape suspected

While investigating the scene, locals notified officers of a suspicious man, 44 year old Olan Wongsaroj. Olan hid from the officers by jumping into a canal about 300 metres away from the incident scene. Police rushed Olan into a car as locals attempted to attack him.

Olan confessed that he broke into Jira’s home to commit robbery. He punched her left eye four times, causing the victim to scream. He then covered her face with a pillow to silence her but Jira died from suffocation.

Olan claimed to have taken only 1,400 baht in cash and her mobile phone. Jira’s family members suspected sexual assault but Olan denied the accusation. Officers would wait for the autopsy results to confirm Olan’s account.

Olan had been previously arrested twice for theft and was jailed for drug-related offences in 2018. He was released two years ago.

In this case, Olan faces two charges including:

• Section 288 of the Criminal Law: intentional murder. The penalty is the death penalty, life imprisonment, or imprisonment for 15 to 20 years.
• Section 339 of the Criminal Law: stealing from another person leading to death. The punishment is the death penalty or life imprisonment.