BANGKOK (AP) – The Thai authorities have arrested a fifth police officer in connection with the death of a drug dealer who was allegedly killed while in custody for cash, but was still looking for two others on Thursday, including the alleged ringleader, one Policeman Colonel who is accused of having financed a lavish lifestyle through corruption.
A sergeant from the Muang District Station in a province north of Bangkok was arrested late Wednesday. All five suspects in custody, including a major and a captain, were brought before a judge on Thursday to rule on their detention for negligence, torture and murder.
Authorities are still looking for a police lieutenant, as well as Colonel Thitisan Utthanaphon, who was the head of the Nakhon Sawan province watch and who went missing on social media just before a video appeared showing him leading the attack on the suspect, the one to death of the 24-year-old.
Nicknamed “Jo Ferrari” for his love of sports cars, the Colonel owned a collection of 29 luxury cars valued at more than 100 million baht ($ 3 million), some of which he was worth in a house in Bangkok from about 60. saved million baht ($ 1.8 million), reported Thai media.
One of the cars found in the house, a yellow Lamborghini, was bought by Thitisan from a car company that was involved in a tax evasion investigation two years ago, police said. Thitisan was not charged in this case.
Looking for him and Lt. Thoranin Matwanna has asked the Thai police in neighboring countries to keep an eye out if they have already managed to cross the border.
Allegations of police brutality and corruption are not uncommon in Thailand, and Human Rights Watch on Thursday called for a transparent external investigation.
“A charge totally independent from the Thai police is required if there is any hope of justice,” said Brad Adams, Asia director for the group.
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“Successive Thai governments have a long history of failure to ensure accountability for even the most appalling police attacks against those in custody,” he said.
Police only opened the investigation into the case after a well-known lawyer, Decha Kittiwittayanan, posted a report on his Facebook page on Sunday.
Decha said he had received a complaint from a young police officer in Nakhon Sawan who said police had arrested two drug suspects, the 24-year-old man and his companion, with more than 100,000 methamphetamine tablets.
The police initially demanded 1 million baht (US $ 30,560) from the suspects, which the account said they were willing to pay for their release. But then Thitisan asked for the double and ordered his subordinates to cover the male suspect’s head with a plastic bag and beat him until he consented, said the young police officer, whose name was not disclosed.
When the suspect died, Thitisan reportedly ordered his men to take the body to the hospital and tell the doctor that the death was caused by a drug overdose. The younger policeman said the woman had been released but said nothing about it and Thitisan paid the victim’s father to be silent.
The police’s first reaction to the uproar over the lawyer’s published story was to transfer Thitisan to another post.
However, on Tuesday, another lawyer, Sittra Biabanggerd, shared a video clip of the incident on Facebook page, who said he received it from a police officer at Nakhon Sawan Station, where all but one of the suspects worked.
It shows the male suspect who is handcuffed into a room, his head covered with a black plastic bag.
He is then attacked and thrown to the ground by officers who place more bags on his head. One of them seems to kneel briefly on him until he goes limp.
Police on Thursday urged people to stop posting the video as it “violates the dignity of the victim and interferes with an ongoing investigation.”
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Associate press reporters Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul and Tassanee Vejpongsa contributed to this report.
