Axe claim cuts no ice, manager turns thief, it’s in their genes

​Always keep an axe handy

Veera lies slain with the axe in his hand

The Nonthaburi family of a man killed in a dispute by his neighbour believes the murder scene was staged.

Veera Prasitthong, 54, was killed inside his neighbour’s shop on soi 13 Tiwanon Road, Bang Phut, Pak Kret on Feb 7 in a confrontation set off by an argument an hour before.

Veera was driving past his place only to find his path blocked by neighbour Visit Chanakul, 65, who had parked outside his shop as he unloaded goods. A CCTV camera opposite captures the moment as he stops and the pair exchange words.

Mr Visit said he would move his vehicle as soon as he had finished, but the exchange left Veera unhappy. An hour later, the camera shows him returning, parking outside and striding into his neighbour’s shop, supposedly for another confrontation.

Mr Visit picked up a .38 and shot him twice, killing him. A third bullet grazed the right side of Veera’s pickup.

The CCTV camera captures the moment in which the three shots ring out. Shoppers outside run for cover. When police arrived they found Veera flat on his back, an axe in his hand. He was shot once in the chest and once in the right side, both bullets exiting through his back.

Mr Visit, who has been charged with murder with intent, said when he saw the axe he shot Veera in self-defence. However, the victim’s family say he did not own such an axe and ask if Mr Visit’s family, in the chaotic moments following the shooting, placed it in the victim’s hand.

The suspect’s daughter, Kwanruethai Chanakul, 29, said Veera was carrying the axe when he entered. The men, both traders, share the same soi, near Wat Thong Khung, but had never had a problem together before, she said.

The victim’s son, Monchai Kingchum, said the killing looked staged and urged police to investigate.

He said Mr Visit’s reaction was extreme and two men their age should be capable of talking civilly if one had parked in the other, rather than resorting to force.

“I have never seen that axe before, and a witness told me he had once seen the suspect use the axe to chop up ice in his shop,” he said.

Celebrity lawyer Ronnarong Kaewpetch has also waded in on the victim’s behalf. Mr Ronnarong, who attended the funeral, said Veera was a former client.

He agrees the murder scene looked staged as the victim, despite being shot twice, was still carrying the axe, which normally would be dislodged by the force of the blasts.

A close look at the CCTV suggests the victim was empty-handed when he walked in and may not have threatened the suspect at all. Veera’s hands are obscured as he enters, but they appear to be bearing no weight.

Deputy head of investigations at Pak Kret station, Pol Capt Assarawut Naka, said he was aware of the family’s concerns. Police were awaiting forensic results on the axe.

Thief draws on insider knowledge

Marut after his arrest for the petrol station robberies

An enterprising husband and wife duo have been nabbed for the robbery of what police say is 33 petrol stations in the Isan region, causing two million baht in damages.

Police from the Central Investigation Bureau and the CSD including Hanuman commando unit nabbed Marut Akhadsri, 33, and his wife Phusanisa Prasertsang, 26, in Thawat Buri of Roi Et province on Feb 5.

The pair targeted stations owned by PTG Energy Co. Media reports say the CIB was told of the thefts only last month, though the couple’s offending started in May last year.

The probe found that 26 of the 33 cases were probably the work of the same offenders as they bore similar hallmarks. The thieves covered their faces with a helmet and wore gloves. They would prise open the safe and make off with the cash.

They might break in together or in other cases Mr Marut would enter alone while his wife waited outside.

The couple were careful to avoid leaving any trace of themselves, which police say led to a sense of complacency. CCTV cameras caught their vehicle scouting out potential targets.

News reports say the police drew initially on “big data” to narrow down the vehicles in the area covered by the thefts to about 20,000 vehicles; from that they winnowed down the list to 200 vehicles which might have been involved.

However, their big break came on Jan 23, when the pair broke into a station in Thawat Buri district. CCTV cameras captured a vehicle in the area which appeared to be scouting about.

Police started tracking the couple and realised Ms Phusanisa, the wife, was a manager at a PT station in Yasothon. This gave her access to insider knowledge such as what kind of safe the stations were likely to be using.

Phusanisa sits in her van

“We saw them leave home late at night, looking around for stations they could rob. Some stations were far from their home, in some cases several hundred kilometres away. The wife would wait nearby while her husband broke in,” police said.

The suspects, who have admitted initially to carrying out at least 10 of the robberies, said they used Google maps to help find stations. They chose those in isolated areas and would drive around sizing up the target first.

“If they found no one looking after the station, and no dogs, and saw the stations were a long way from people’s houses, and the windows and doors were relatively accessible, they would strike,” officers said.

After robbing the station in Thawat Buri district, the couple committed two more robberies, in Nang Rong district of Buri Ram, and Ban Thaen district of Chaiyaphum.

Funnily enough, the couple came up empty-handed in an attempted robbery on Feb 3-4, just before they were nabbed. They drove around stations in Maha Sarakham, Khon Kaen, and Udon Thani before settling on a station in Nong Han, Udon Thani, but were unable to find a safe or any cash so went home.

Hanuman commandos surrounded the house and caught Mr Marut. They seized as evidence a stolen CCTV camera, motorcycle, car, phones, and other goods.

While Mr Marut appears in most post-arrest images, Ms Phusanisa is spared most of the publicity: as for her part in the crime reconstruction, she is seen sitting meekly in the couple’s pickup. The suspects said they needed to rob the stations to pay off debts.

Mr Marut said no one taught him how to crack safes, but his wife, thanks to her job at the station, had worked with that type of safe many times and knew its weak points. Ironically, Ms Phusanisa once won an award for outstanding branch manager in Yasothon province before turning her hand to the robberies. The couple were charged with theft.

Keeping it in the family

Four thieves, all related, were nabbed for robbery.

Police in Nonthaburi rounded up four thieves, all relatives, after they broke into a former air marshal’s house and stole his valuables.

Sai Noi police arrested Nuch Iam-on, 36; her husband, Charoenchai Yamsri, 37; her son Chananon Numcharoen, 18; and the son of her ex-husband, Chanchai Numcharoen, 41 for the robbery.

Retired air force specialist Air Marshal Uthai Setthawong, 68, reported the robbery on Feb 2.

He said he left his house in Sai Noi on Jan 29 for his other home in Makkasan, Ratchathewi, and checked everything before he left. When he returned on Feb 2 he found his house had been broken into and his belongings scattered about.

Police reviewed CCTV footage and found four people climbing over the fence that morning. The footage showed them gaining entry through a back door and walking out with the proceeds.

They tracked down the family to a rented house. Police initially nabbed Mr Charoenchai, Ms Nuch, and Mr Chananon.

They caught up with Mr Chanchai later, and were still looking for a fifth suspect, Ms Nuch’s ex-husband, identified as Ekkachai.

Among the items stolen, police recovered eight Buddha images, 146 amulets, various insignia, 10 bottles of imported alcohol, a 32 inch TV, and Honda Click motorcycle. The family was charged with theft.