Transnational criminal gangs in Pattaya, in Chon Buri, will face a crackdown by police, following the arrest of suspects who allegedly murdered a German businessman in the city, according to deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn.
Late on Tuesday night, Pol Gen Surachate called an emergency meeting among local police forces in Chon Buri province including Pattaya Tourist Police, Pattaya Immigration Police and Chon Buri Provincial Police, to discuss the arrest of suspects involved in the gruesome murder of Hans Peter Walter Mack, 62, last week.
The dismembered body of Mack was found in a freezer at a house in tambon Nong Prue of Bang Lamung district on Monday night by detectives who had been following up leads based on security camera video. He had not been seen by his family since July 4.
Pol Gen Surachate said after the meeting that two German nationals — Olaf Thorsten Brinkmann,52, and Petra Christl Grundgreif, 54 — had been apprehended by Nong Prue police on Tuesday. They were charged with colluding in theft and murder.
The other suspect, a Pakistani man holding Thai nationality, Zahrouk Kareem Uddin, 27, was arrested on Wednesday in Kanchanaburi province, a police source said.
Moreover, police have charged a German national, Nicole Frevel, 52, with moving Mack’s body to conceal the death. She is the tenant of the house where the freezer was kept.
Pol Col Thawee Kudthalaeng, the Nong Prue police chief, revealed that officers have requested pre-trial detention for all suspects from the Pattaya Provincial Court. Mr Brinkmann had refused to talk to investigators, claiming that he must be accompanied by his lawyer at all times.
Pol Gen Surachate said that police are investigating if there are any Thai suspects assisting the “Outlaw” criminal gang run by Mr Brinkmann.
“These transnational criminal gangs are run by foreigners who reside in tambon Nong Prue in Bang Lamung district. Any expats who would like to do business in Pattaya areas must be in contact with these mafias. [Police] have been ordered to enforce a crackdown on them,” said Pol Gen Surachate.
He added that those suspects who are involved in such crimes will have their tourist visas revoked and eventually deported.
Pol Gen Surachate said that the motive behind the murder might have been the result of a conflict between Mack and the suspects. The Outlaw gang has a reputation for extorting money from foreign investors in Thailand.
