Wanted Singaporean man may have fled to Chiang Rai: police say
Police believe the suspect may have fled to Chiang Rai to evade arrest, suspect personal disputes may have been the motive
A Singaporean national suspected of murdering his Thai girlfriend at a condo in Bangkok may have fled to Chiang Rai, police said after finding the woman’s body.
A manhunt has been launched for Daniel Benjamin Goh Wei-En, 32, after Metropolitan Police found the body of his 30-year-old girlfriend, Phraophilas (surname withheld), in a condominium in Sukhumvit Soi 39 on Wednesday.
Goh was reportedly seen leaving the condominium at 3.17pm on Tuesday (March 25) with luggage before driving away in black Mercedes. After running a licence plate check, police discovered that the vehicle was registered to a deceased person.
Investigators tracked the vehicle to a hotel in Bangkok’s Makkasan area, where they learned the suspect had switched to a bronze SUV, accoding to Pol Maj-General Noppasin Poonsawat, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau.
He added that evidence suggests Goh may have travelled to the North of Thailand to evade authorities. Investigators also believe that the suspect may have taken some of the deceased’s valuables, including luxury watches and handbags, he added.
“Officers are working to catch the suspect as quickly as possible to minimise any negative impact on tourism,” Noppasin said, adding that personal disputes could be the motive for the murder.
A friend of the deceased reportedly told the police that the couple fought frequently, with some arguments escalating to physical violence.
The mother of the deceased told Nation TV on Thursday that her daughter had been seeing the suspect for about three years. The two were also business partners in Bangkok, but Phraophilas never introduced Goh to her family in Khon Kaen, she added.
Police are still waiting for autopsy results to determine the cause of Phraophilas’ death.
