Man charged in shooting death of nine-year-old schoolboy

Third grader Chalermchai Jopratha from Ban Phraek Takhro, was reported missing on March 10. He was found on Wednesday morning in a shallow grave covered with a large rock. 

Local man Pramook Khosin was arrested and a hunting rifle and eight bullets were seized, said Nong Pluc superintendent Pol Colonel Chaikorn Sriladecho. He has been charged with murder, concealing a body and illegal possession of a hunting rifle and ammunition, police said.

Pramook reportedly admitted that he was hunting in the hill area when he shot at the boy who he mistook as a hornbill. 

Pramook told police that when he realised he had shot and killed the boy he dug a shallow grave to hide the body and conceal the crime before returning to work at an ice-selling shop in Pran Buri district.

Chalermchai, one of the five children, was a child Muay Thai fighter who joined boxing matches at local events to earn Bt500 to Bt1,000 to help his poor family.