BANGKOK — Thai authorities have issued an arrest warrant for a Singaporean man who fled after his Thai girlfriend was found murdered in a downtown Bangkok apartment. Police investigators have tracked his movement heading toward Chiang Rai province in northern Thailand.
The body of 30-year-old Ms. Prao-Pilas from Khon Kaen province was discovered wrapped in a blanket and bed sheet in the bathroom of a residence on the 22nd floor of a 50-story hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 39, Watthana District, Bangkok at 6:20 p.m. on March 26. The body was unclothed with visible wounds and blood on the head.
According to police, two friends of the deceased filed a report at Thonglor Police Station after being unable to contact Prao-Pilas since Monday evening, March 24. Investigations revealed that her 34-year-old Singaporean boyfriend, Daniel Benjamin Goh, had left Prao-Pilas’s residence since Tuesday night, March 23.
Mother’s Statement
In an interview before traveling from Khon Kaen to retrieve her daughter’s body for religious ceremonies, Prao-Pilas’s mother stated that her daughter met Daniel in Singapore and they had been dating for three years. Her daughter brought her boyfriend to Thailand three years ago, and since then they had been traveling between Singapore and Bangkok.
The mother mentioned there had been some conflicts between the couple, though not severe. She had witnessed them arguing but nothing violent. However, when her daughter was physically assaulted with bruises, she would send photos to her mother. Most recently, Prao-Pilas had told her mother, “If I disappear for two nights, no one would hurt me except him.”
Arrest Warrant Details
The South Bangkok District Court approved an arrest warrant for Daniel on March 27 on charges of being a foreigner entering and staying in the kingdom without permission or after permission has expired or been revoked, and failing to report an unnatural death to administrative officials or police as soon as possible.
Timeline of Incidents
Police Deputy Commissioner Pol. Maj. Gen. Noppasin Poolsawat stated that CCTV footage revealed March 23 was Prao-Pilas’s birthday. She left her condominium at 6:43 p.m. to celebrate with her boyfriend and returned at 9:17 p.m., with Daniel dropping her off at her 22nd floor apartment before leaving. No images of Prao-Pilas leaving her room were found afterward.
In contrast, Daniel entered and exited her room several times alone:
- At 12:12 a.m. on March 24, he entered her room, then came down to receive two food bags from a delivery rider at 1:31 a.m. before returning to her room
- He stayed until morning. At 10:29 a.m. on March 24, Prao-Pilas’s phone called her mother, but she didn’t answer
- A few minutes later at 10:35 a.m., her mother called back but no one answered, during which time Daniel was still in the room
- Between 12:17 p.m. and 12:46 p.m., Daniel left the room twice. On the second occasion, he came down to receive a paper bag before going back up
- At 5:43 p.m., he came down wearing a cap and left the condominium
- Hours later, at 3:33 a.m. on March 25, he returned to her room and stayed until morning
- At 10:30 a.m., he came down with a small bag and went back up with two more food bags
- At 3:16 p.m., Daniel was seen carrying a large suitcase and various belongings out of the condominium while wearing a hat
- He called a black Mercedes-Benz through an application and left at 3:19 p.m.
- He was dropped off at a restaurant in Sukhumvit Soi 71, then paid 258 baht in cash to be taken to a hotel in the Phetchaburi area
- According to witness testimony, Daniel met with two men before boarding a Mitsubishi Triton pickup truck that left Phetchaburi Road and headed toward Mae Sai district in Chiang Rai province, which borders Myanmar
Investigation Details
Pol. Maj. Gen. Noppasin stated that investigations revealed the Singaporean man and Thai woman had a troubled relationship, with the man being extremely jealous. According to the victim’s friends, she had previously filed a complaint about physical assault. The deceased’s body showed bruises around the mouth and arms, but they are awaiting a detailed autopsy report to determine the exact cause of death.
Police investigators have coordinated with immigration police in Chiang Rai province and police in Tachileik (across the border in Myanmar) to track down the suspect.
Pol. Col. Surasak Thienthong, Superintendent of Chiang Rai Immigration, stated that the Mae Sai-Tachileik border crossing at Friendship Bridge No. 1 is a permanent border checkpoint that only allows Thai and Myanmar nationals to cross. People of other nationalities cannot pass through this checkpoint, with officials strictly monitoring the checkpoint.
Natural passages along the border are also strictly monitored by military and border protection agencies to prevent illegal border crossings.
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Previous report:
Singaporean Man Hunted After His Girlfriend Found Murdered in Bangkok
