Police issue sketches of murder duo

PHUKET TOWN: Police have issued sketches of two men wanted for the murder of the accountant for the Supercheap warehouse store yesterday afternoon, and the theft of 1.7 million baht that the victim, Jennarong Utoksaenee, was taking to the bank. Jennarong, 65, was shot three times with a .375 caliber pistol wielded by the passenger of a motorcycle which drew alongside his car in broad daylight on the heavily traveled Thepkrasattri Road, close to Supercheap, as he was on his way to deposit the cash in the Siam Commercial Bank. He was declared dead on arrival at Wachira Hospital. Police said the gunman (pictured on the left) is 25 to 30 years old, between 160 and 165 centimeters tall, and has black skin and short hair. The driver of the bike is described as being between 20-25 years old and 165-170 centimeters tall, with high, short hair and ‘black-red’ skin. Police Col Chalit Thinthanee, superintendent of the Phuket Town police, said detectives are working on the theory that a Supercheap employee told the killer and his accomplice about the store’s arrangements for taking money to the bank. All staff of the store are being questioned, he said. He also told the Gazette that police believe one of the men is from Phuket and the other is from Nakhon Sri Thammarat. Although the driver of the motorbike was wearing a helmet at the time of the killing, police were able to make sketches of both men thanks to a store employee who – on hearing a description of the gunman from a witness – recognized him as one of two men who had come into the store earlier in the day, ostensibly looking for work. Police believe the two hung about in the store until they saw Khun Jennarong leaving, then followed him. The killing of Khun Jennarong shocked witnesses with its cold-bloodedness. One motorist, who was passing by at the time of the shooting, telephoned the Gazette to say that he “was driving with a member of my staff when we heard some soft popping noises. “At first I thought it was firecrackers, but then my colleague shouted, ‘He’s shooting! Look, that man’s shooting the man in the car!’ “The car was still moving at walking pace – it went on about 50 meters after the shooting – and the gangster on the back [of the motorbike] jumped off and grabbed a black bag from it. “They did a couple of circuits on the bike, with the one on the back holding the bag in one hand and waving his pistol – it was bright chrome – in the other. He was pointing the gun at witnesses and shouting at them, ‘Don’t you dare tell the police anything!’ “I told my colleague to duck in case he started shooting. When we looked up again, they were gone.” Anyone recognizing either of the people in the sketches is urged to telephone the police on 191.