Police investigation reveals timeline of murder in Bangkok condo

BANGKOK: The Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB) on Thursday (March 27) revealed details of their investigation into the murder of a Thai woman at a condominium in Sukhumvit Soi 39, in Bangkok’s Watthana district.

A manhunt has been launched for Singaporean national Daniel Benjamin Goh Wei-En, 32, after the body of his 30-year-old girlfriend, Phraophilas (surname withheld), was found wrapped in a blanket and a bloodied bedsheet in the bathroom of the unit on the 22nd floor.

A friend of the deceased who found the body on Wednesday evening told police that she had been unable to contact Phraophilas since Monday (March 24).

She then filed a missing person report at Thong Lor Police Station and asked the building manager to open the room.

MPB deputy commissioner Pol Maj-General Noppasin Poonsawat said that CCTV footage revealed that the deceased had left the condominium with Goh at 6.43pm on Sunday (March 23) and returned at 9.17pm the same day, probably after celebrating her birthday. Goh was seen leaving the condo later that night.

Goh returned to the condo on Monday at 12.12am and stayed in the room. At 1.31am, he left the room to pick up two bags at the lobby, before going up to the room again, police said.

At 10.29am on Monday, Phraophilas’ mother received a phone call from her daughter’s phone, but she did not answer. She called back at 10.35am but no one answered.

From 12.17am to 12.46am on Monday, Goh was seen leaving the room two times to pick up paper bags at the lobby. He left the building at 5.43pm that day, wearing a cap.

Goh returned to the condo on Tuesday (March 25) at 3.33am, and left the building at 3.16pm.

He was seen leaving alone, carrying luggage and wearing a cap. He used an application to call a black Mercedes car, which drove away at 3.19pm.

The vehicle driver told police that Goh had asked him to take him to a restaurant in Sukhumvit Soi 71, and paid him 258 baht to take him to a hotel on Phetchaburi Road.

An eyewitness said Goh met with two men at the hotel, before getting into a bronze SUV, which was seen taking Phetchaburi Road and heading to Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai province.

Police discovered that Goh had entered Thailand 31 times in the past, each time for a 10-15 day stay. His latest entry was in 2019, while his visa has already expired on May 28, 2024.

Goh and the deceased rented the condo unit over the past two months at 170,000 baht per month, police said, adding that the unit has a private elevator and no one else was seen entering the unit since Sunday.

A friend of the deceased reportedly told the police that the couple fought frequently, which sometimes ended in physical violence.

Noppasin said that officers are working to catch the suspect as quickly as possible to minimise any negative impact on tourism.

He added that personal disputes could be the motive for the murder, and that currently there was no evidence the suspect had left the country. – The Nation/ANN