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Slayings in revenge for 'act of betrayal'

A sacked police investigator who jumped bail on a murder case last year has confessed to killing a police lieutenant, his wife and two of their children in Pathum Thani in an act of revenge over an alleged betrayal by his police friend.


Montri Kaewrat, left, 46, a police detectivewho wassacked from Bang Bua Thong district station, is accused of killing a fellow officer, the victim’s wife andtwo of their children on Thursday.He jumped bailon anothermurder charge butwas caught in Pathum Thani yesterday,one day after the killing of the four victims. SURAPOL PROMSAKANA SAKOLNAKORN

Montri Kaewrat, 46, a former police investigator at Bang Bua Thong district police station in Nonthaburi province, was arrested yesterday at Butsababan resort hotel in Lam Luk Ka district of Pathum Thani where he rented a room after the massacre of the four victims on Thursday.

Crime Suppression Division police said they found in his possession a 9mm pistol, a shotgun, eight rounds of ammunition, 178,000 baht in cash, a mobile phone, ATM cards and other valuables.

The arrest was made after Rachan Phanwong, 38, an investigator attached to Bang Bua Thong police station, his wife Noowarat, 33, their five-year-old daughter Yanisa, and their three-year-old son Jirayu were found dead on a ring road in Pathum Thani's Sam Khok district on Thursday.

Rawisara, their six-year-old daughter, was also shot and seriously wounded.

The bodies of Pol Lt Rachan and his wife were found near their Toyota Fortuner while those of his killed children and the wounded daughter were found inside the vehicle.

CSD police, led by Pol Col Akkaradet Pimolsri, swiftly made the arrest after obtaining clues about a pickup truck used by the gunman.

The vehicle was found at the resort hotel in Lam Lum Ka district, not far from the crime scene.

Police raided the hotel and found Pol Lt Montri about to leave his room. A body search found a pistol in his possession. Several valuables belonging to the victims were found hidden in the room. Blood stains were found in the suspect's pickup truck.

Police say Pol Lt Montri sold a gold necklace belonging to Pol Lt Rachan to a gold shop in Rangsit area for over 100,000 baht after the murder.

He allegedly admitted killing Pol Lt Rachan and three of his family in a fit of anger over a betrayal of trust.

"If he had not stabbed me in the back, I would not have killed him," Pol Lt Montri is alleged to have said.

"Before, I was a police officer. Today, I am a criminal. I want to say only one thing: that honesty is important for friends. A man must not betray his friend," he said.

He apologised to Pol Lt Rachan's family for killing them.

According to police, Pol Lt Montri said he was angry with his friend. They had been close since they were at police cadet school.

Pol Lt Montri was sacked from the police service after being charged with murder in Kanchanaburi province. He went into hiding in Mukdahan province.

He believed his friend provided information which led police to him.

Pol Lt Montri said he had borrowed 30,000 baht from Pol Lt Rachan and asked him to transfer the money to a bank in Mukdahan.

Shortly afterwards, a team of police came to the northeastern province to look for him, but he managed to flee.

He phoned Pol Lt Rachan for a talk. They agreed to meet on the western ring road in Pathum Thani's Sam Khok district, where he shot him dead.

He shot his friend's wife as she witnessed the killing and had tried to run away. He shot the children because they recognised him.

However, police were not convinced by the account. They believed the killing might have been linked to an underground business.

In Kanchanaburi, Pol Lt Montri allegedly shot dead Wanna Rattanasirirat, 38, on a bypass road in Tha Maka district on July 26 last year.

He was angry with the victim's husband, who cut in front of his own vehicle. He opened fire at the husband, but the bullet hit Wanna.

He was dismissed from the police service as a result.


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