Dressing it up; naked theft antics; juggling two wives

One story after another
Police in Nakhon Pathom suspect that plain robbery lies behind a brutal murder in which a woman stabbed to death her half-brother, rather than sibling rivalry as the suspect claims.
Muang police nabbed Kanlayakorn Renunaem, 28, for stabbing to death her younger brother Kanchit, 23, who runs a Chinese banquet service, after luring him from his family home.
She also stole a necklace worth three baht in gold weight and two buddha amulets from her dying brother before fleeing the scene to a motel in Uthai, Ayutthaya.
Ms Kanlayakorn said she killed her brother out of pique, that their father loved him more than her (they were born to the same father but different mothers), though she also admits she was in debt and robbery played a part.
She said she called her brother to a spot on the road close to his family home to “clear the air”. The two started to argue and she pulled out a knife, stabbing him repeatedly.
Speaking after her arrest, Ms Kanlayakorn claimed she was about to take him to hospital but decided against it when a bystander approached. The suspect also claimed she “asked” her brother for his gold and amulets, which he parted with before dying in hospital from his injuries.
When police caught up with her in Ayutthaya, she was resting after her ordeal, news reports said. Ms Kanlayakorn, who had a good story ready for her captors, claimed she intended to return the gold the next day, and hand herself in to police in Nong Khae, Saraburi, where she lives with her mother’s family. However, the police caught up with her first.
CCTV images aired by the media suggest the slaying was premeditated. They show her hiding in wait with her motorcycle close to Kanchit’s home. When her brother left in his car for their meeting, she headed off in a different direction for their rendezvous, no doubt hoping to get their first. “Why didn’t they go together if she really wanted to talk, or just follow him when she saw his car leaving the house?” one news presenter asked.
Fatefully, perhaps, CCTV images taken from inside the home show the victim’s mother handing him his gold necklace and buddha amulets as he was about to hop into his vehicle for the journey.
After hearing about Kanchit’s death, relatives gathered and shouted at the suspect as she took police on a crime reconstruction. They dismissed claims that their father showed favouritism towards the victim and said the victim was a good man who did not deserve such a brutal death.
“You’re just talking nonsense,” one woman exclaimed. The victim’s father, Siriporn, who said he could not understand why she suddenly turned up and lured his son to his death, also refused to meet her gaze.
Speaking about her debt problems, Ms Kanlayakorn said she asked her father before the attack for help paying off her debt, but he showed no interest. Mr Siriporn insisted he had supported her since she was a child.
Pol Maj Gen Chotiwat Luengwilai, head of Ayutthaya regional police, said the case was disturbing. “Even if a brother and sister were in conflict, it shouldn’t have come to this,” he said, remarking on the brutality of the stabbing. Muang police in Nakhon Pathom would decide on charges, he said.
Making himself at home
Police in Rayong are looking for a burglar with a peculiar habit of stripping naked while he goes to work.
Paisit Jiamanukulkit, owner of a building in Muang district, says he has been robbed twice recently, probably by the same offender.
He said the first break-in was on Oct 2, when the burglar stole copper wiring from various appliances, disabled the CCTV, and stole buddha images. He caused about 50,000 baht in damages.
The most recent break-in, Mr Paisit said, was on Oct 14, when the burglar gained entry via the building next door. While the burglar was careful to disable the CCTV cameras on his first visit, some cameras did catch his image during the more recent break-in.
The CCTV images showed him parading about the place naked as he slowly made his way downstairs, carrying on as if he owned the place, Mr Paisit said bitterly.
“He helped himself to a drink from the fridge, took a rest on the sofa, tried on my clothes, and even took a shower,” he said.
The robber, who appears aged 25-30, is tall, bearded, and tattooed on his back. He disabled the CCTV camera on the third storey, but cameras on lower floors caught his image as he went from room to room, opening the doors and rummaging about.
On the first floor he came across Mr Paisit’s wardrobe, and started trying on clothes, discarding the items which did not take his fancy.
Mr Paisit said the burglar’s backpack was bulging with items he had stuffed in it, including buddha images and trophies which his company had been awarded. He also took a desktop computer, and stole the copper wiring from the fridge light.
He was about to take the TV but must have thought better of it, as it was too big. Total damages wrought by the thief now exceed 200,000 baht, he said.
It is unclear whether the robber knew the cameras on the lower levels were watching, though he did not seem in any hurry.
“He was really making himself at home. If he goes to this extent, why not just move in?” asked Mr Paisit, who complained to Muang police about the thefts.
“A repair man, called in after the thief stole copper wiring from my air con, reckons he was no mere thief, as he did the job too professionally,” he added.
He has appealed to police to get a move on with their probe. Locals were scared at the thought the robber could act with such impunity as to strip naked while stealing from someone else’s place.
One wife too many
An elderly man in Pathum Thani apparently found the stress of keeping two wives too much, taking his own life at his car repair yard after returning from his mistress’s house.
Thanyaburi police were called to the repair yard, ATM Service, owned by Chanchai (no surname given), 73, after staff found him dead on his bed upstairs.
One news report said he was living in “two worlds” (a reference to his having two wives, or two realities which occasionally collide). Another, just as tactful, said he shot himself moments after returning from the “little house” (his minor wife’s place).
Samruay (no surname given), 53, who repairs car radiators, said Chanchai turned up in his pickup shortly after 7am on Oct 16, just as the repair yard was about to open. He said he had just returned from seeing his second wife.
“He went straight up to the second storey,” he said. “When a customer arrived, I called out but there was no response, so I sent one of the juniors up for a look.”
No one heard the gun going off, so the gruesome find came as a shock. The unlucky staff member who discovered the body, Thawatchai (no surname given), 19, a motor mechanic, said he noticed Chanchai hadn’t come down, which he thought was odd.
“Normally he sits there welcoming customers from early in the morning. The radiator guy sent me up for a look after he called his name but failed to get a response. I found him dead in a pool of blood,” he said.
The victim, who was found lying on his bed, was still holding a gun in his left hand.
Police, who suspect suicide, have sent the body for an autopsy. It is unclear what led Chanchai to take his own life, though they suspected the stress of his keeping two wives might have contributed.