Nakhon Sawan drug suspect died of suffocation in police custody: autopsy report
The autopsy report of a male drug suspect who died while being interrogated by former Nakhon Sawan Police Station chief Pol Colonel Thitisan Uthanapol on August 5 shows suffocation as cause of his death.
Pol Colonel Anek Taosuphab, who heads the investigation taskforce, on Monday received the full autopsy report from Sawan Pracharak Hospital.
Complaints were filed against Thitisan by other officers that he had allegedly demanded THB2 million from two suspects, a man and a woman, in a narcotics case before he allegedly suffocated the man to death with a plastic bag. Thitisan then allegedly ordered the doctor to put the cause of death down as drug overdose and told the woman to keep quiet before releasing her.
Thitisan was fired from the force on August 25 and was arrested the next day in Chonburi province.
“There were traces of amphetamine in the victim’s body but not enough to cause death,” said Anek. “In summary, the cause of death is not drug overdose.”
Anek added that the case would be transferred to a central investigation team from Monday.
Thitisan will be transferred to a central prison, which is a standard procedure in an ongoing investigation.