Case closed on bizarre murder-suicide in Phuket restaurant

PHUKET: Police have closed the case file on the bizarre murder-suicide that shocked Phuket Town earlier this month.

Diners at Khrua Pailin Restaurant were stunned when restaurateur Bundit Anurakbundit stood up from a table of friends, walked across the restaurant floor to his sister-in-law Wassana Jarit and shot her in the head point-blank. He then turned the gun on himself.

Despite questioning many people, police have been unable to determine what caused the bizarre course of events that evening.

Alcohol was not a factor as Mr Bundit wasn’t drinking that night, Duty Police Officer Sian Kaewthong told the Gazette.

Before the shooting Mr Bundit got up from the table several times and went over to speak briefly to his cashier Ms Wassana, witnesses told police.

“Only the two of them [Bundit and Wassana] knew what was going on…nobody else at the scene knew what they talked about,” Lt Col Sian said.

Having reached a literal dead end, police decided to end the investigation and close the case, he said.

Bundit’s wife, who asked to be identified only as “Pueng”, told police that she was unaware of any problems her husband might have been facing.

He and Ms Wassana had never argued before, she said.

“I suspect that Bundit and Wassana might have had an unpleasant conversation that made Bundit angry,” Lt Col Sian said.

Ms Pueng told the Gazette that the night before the tragedy Mr Bundit talked with her about his plans to open a khao tom (boiled rice) restaurant in Kathu.

“There were no signs that he wanted to say goodbye. We talked about work and our future together. He said he wanted to work and provide for our 22-year-old son and 21-year-old daughter,” she said.

“The relationship between Wassana and Bundit was a good one. I think it was a mistake, that he never intended to harm her. That might be why he ended his life immediately after,” Ms Pueng said.

The families of both Mr Bundit and of Ms Wassana have accepted the incident as a terrible tragedy and agree the case should be closed, she said.

— Janpen Upatising