Tragic inferno: Man locks daughter-in-law in cottage, sets fire to it, results in her death

Police arrested a 60 year old Thai man after he locked his daughter-in-law in a small cottage and set fire to the property, resulting in her death. The murder was motivated by a series of disputes between the alleged alcoholic and the victim.

Officers from the Mueng Nakhon Si Thammarat Police Station, who were notified about the murder, rushed to the scene of the crime, a small fire-damaged wooden cottage. Upon investigating the cottage, an officer discovered the charred dead body of a 29 year old woman named Naruemon Katekaew.

The murderer in question was Naruemon’s father-in-law, 60 year old Lek Khunrat. He remained at the scene and was allegedly drunk when police arrived. He reportedly admitted to physically assaulting Naruemon but denied any involvement in setting her on fire.

Lek disclosed that he had a dispute with Naruemon in front of the cottage. With anger, he grabbed a knife and slashed her legs. Naruemon escaped into the cottage, so he locked her in there.

Lek denied setting fire to the house, adding that a blaze suddenly sparked. He did not know how it happened. Lek also blamed Naruemon, saying she was a drug addict.

During the police investigation, the victim’s husband, 30 year old Kanokpong Khurat, arrived at the scene in shock. He broke into tears after noticing the dead body of his wife.

Kanokpong told ThaiRath that he and his wife had been together for more than 10 years. He said his wife had a conflict with his father for a long time because he was an alcoholic and always caused chaos. He also acknowledged that his father was capable of committing this atrocious act against his wife.

According to Sanook, Lek had just been released from prison for a drug-related offence three months ago. Moreover, both Naruemon and Kanokpong were alleged drug users.

The charges for the murder and drugs have not yet been issued by the police.

In a separate case reported two days ago, an alcoholic also set fire to a family member, his bedridden wife. The neighbours managed to distinguish the fire, but the victim suffered serious wounds and died. The murderer attempted to take his own life but the neighbours intervened.