The autopsy result of the drug suspect who died during interrogation by former Nakhon Sawan police chief Colonel Thitisan Uthanapol on Aug. 5 indicated the victim had died of asphyxiation, the deputy said. Chief of Public Prosecutor’s Office of Region 6, Somphong Yenkaew announced.
Colonel Thitisan Uthanapol did have the plan to kill the drug suspect, the prosecutor says.
Testimonials from other officers filed against Thitisan said he allegedly demanded 2 million baht from the two suspects, a man and a woman. He ordered his subordinate to pull plastic bags over the drug suspect’s head. When the man was found to have suffocated, Colonel Thitisan ordered a doctor to attribute the cause of death to a drug overdose and told the suspect’s wife to remain silent before releasing her.
The chief of police of the police station was fired on August 25 and was arrested the next day in Chonburi province.
“The victim’s head was covered with six plastic bags, with the first bag being applied to obstruct his airways,” the prosecutor said.
“In addition, the victim’s head was pressed to the ground in a downward position, which made breathing even more difficult,” the prosecutor said.
“CCTV footage showed that the plastic layers had been wrapped tightly around the victim’s neck for more than six minutes,” he added.
Although traces of drugs were found in the victim’s body, covering the victim’s head in such a manner was enough to kill him. Therefore, the cause of death is concluded as suffocation.
The prosecutor also said the prosecutor and investigating officers agreed that Colonel Thitisan and six other suspects involved in the interrogation planned to kill the suspect.
The reason Colonel Thitisan used to use this technique to get the victim to reveal where he got the drugs is therefore inadmissible,” Somphong said, adding: will examine the case carefully step by step, which must be completed in a timely manner.
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