Suspect detained in Nonthaburi ‘concreted barrel’ murder case

Nonthaburi police have apprehended a key suspect in a gruesome murder case, in which a body was stuffed into a steel barrel, covered in concrete and submerged in a large pond.

A combined force of over 20 officers from the Provincial Police Region 1, Nonthaburi provincial police and Bang Bua Thong investigators surrounded a house in Bang Bua Thong district yesterday to arrest ‘Naphat’, widely known as ‘Sam’. He was wanted on an arrest warrant issued by the Nonthaburi Provincial Court for premeditated murder and concealing a corpse.

During initial questioning, the suspect denied all charges. Investigators plan to conduct a detailed interrogation today, alongside a public defender due to the severe penalty associated with the offences. Despite the denial, police have expressed confidence in the strength of the evidence gathered.

The arrest followed an intensive search operation for ‘Uten’, also known as ‘Jia’, a local man who had gone missing. Police, divers and rescue workers from the Poh Teck Tung Foundation discovered the sealed steel barrel in a pond on Wednesday.

On cutting the barrel open, they found the body of a man heavily encased in set concrete. A preliminary autopsy has revealed a puncture wound, resembling a bullet wound, in the skull above the right ear.

Forensic officers stated, though, that the exact cause of death cannot be confirmed until a detailed autopsy is completed. Additionally, while physical evidence points to the body being the missing ‘Uten’, official identification is still pending DNA verification.