BANGKOK (The Nation/Asia News Network): Online gambling debts are believed to be the leading motive of murder suspect Sararat “Am” Rangsiwuthaporn, who allegedly poisoned at least 14 people with the deadly chemical cyanide, deputy national police chief Surachet Hakparn said on Wednesday (May 17).
He said police discovered 78 million baht spread over 180 bank accounts belonging to Sararat, which had been used to transfer money to and from several online gambling websites.
“She was gambling to the tune of about 1 million baht per day,” he added.
“Investigators also found that these accounts received money that had been transferred from some of the victims’ accounts.”
Sararat was arrested by police on April 25 in Bangkok for her suspected involvement in the cyanide poisoning of at least 14 victims whom she knew well and who had loaned her money or invested money through her in various questionable schemes.
Some of the families of the victims reported that their valuables were also missing when the bodies were returned to them.
Surachet added that police are closing in on the source of the cyanide bottle which was found on Sararat when she was arrested.
He said that out of the more than 700 factories investigated, police had narrowed the field to 10 factories suspected of selling the regulated chemical to the suspect.
He added that investigators are checking over 400 items of evidence collected from where they believed the murders took place to determine if Sararat has other accomplices.
Earlier this week, police had filed a charge against Sararat’s ex-husband, sacked Pol Lt Col Withoon Rangsiwuthaporn, for allegedly helping her destroy evidence related to the killing of Siriporn "Koy" Khanwong, one of her several suspected victims.
