The German victim was targeted because he was known to be wealthy and a successful businessman. It was a case of extortion that went too far ending in murder and butchery, a crime that has shocked Pattaya, a resort city no stranger to organised crime.
The main suspects in the horrific murder of German property mogul Hans Peter Ralter Mack were arrested on Tuesday while a Pakistani national was arrested on Wednesday in Kanchanaburi. Praising Chonburi Police, on Tuesday, Deputy National Police Chief General Surachate Hakparn noted how quickly the case was solved and the strength of evidence against the accused who are now behind bars in Pattaya. They include 52-year-old Olaf Thorsten Brinkmann, known as Olaf and 54-year-old Ms Petra Christl Grundgreif, known as Petha who police suspect posed as a property broker to lure the victim to his demise.
On Tuesday afternoon, Pattaya police announced that they had detained the two key figures in the premeditated murder of Hans Peter Ralter Mack.
Ms Petra Crystal Grungreif, also known as Petha, who on Tuesday, July 4th last held herself out as a property broker to lure the property tycoon to his death at a pool villa near where the meeting took place, was arrested by police officers in the resort city shocked at what has transpired relating to this case.
Overweight German woman lashes out at young journalist who tried to interview her with her smartphone as she climbed the stairs of the station
On Tuesday afternoon at 3.20 pm, as officers escorted Ms Petha, an overweight German woman to the meeting room upstairs at Nong Prue police station, she lashed out viciously at a reporter, angrily staring at the plucky journalist in a threatening manner after she was asked why she murdered the German tycoon.
The German woman appeared to have difficulty walking up the stairs, at the Police Station, appearing to pause for breath several times, such was her lack of fitness as she clutched a large, garish Chanel handbag.
She knocked the young reporter’s smartphone to the ground to prevent her video recording the proceedings but fortunately, the young female press member was able to catch it again in mid-air before it was damaged.
She was led away to be interrogated by officers conducting the murder investigation.
52-year-old Mr Olaf picked up in a Bangkok club and brought to book for an appalling crime, described by Big Joke as the mastermind behind the atrocity
Later, on Tuesday afternoon, in the Prawet area of Bangkok, police arrested 52-year-old Olaf Thorsten Brinkmann who, in a briefing to the media given by Deputy National Police Chief General Surachate Hakparn or Big Joke, has been described as the mastermind and instigator of this crime, a man who has a history of criminal activity including for drug offences.
Mr Olaf was taken into custody at a club in the capital and taken by police to Nong Prue Police Station in Pattaya for interrogation by investigators and legal proceedings including for the charge of premeditated murder in the killing and butchering of his fellow national.
The German man was dressed in black with short pants and appeared surprised to be accosted by two plain-clothes policemen as he was smartly brought to book.
Deputy National Police Chief General Surachate Hakparn praises Chonburi Police and Police Region 2 for solving the case so swiftly, evidence is strong
On Tuesday, General Surachate congratulated the Chonburi Police and all in Police Region 2 who had quickly solved this crime.
He said that there was enough forensic evidence including fingerprints, palm prints and DNA evidence to convict the culprits.
It has emerged that one of those wanted, Pakistani national Mr Sahruk Kareem Uddin, who transported the chest freezer containing Mr Ralter Mack’s body, escaped the police dragnet on Tuesday but was picked up on Wednesday when reported at a hotel in Kanchanaburi province near the kingdom’s border with Myanmar.
Grim end for German property mogul in Pattaya, body cut up and sealed in a freezer by his killers
Police in Pattaya have formally released the names of the three suspects who are believed to be responsible for the kidnapping of Hans Peter Ralter Mack, his murder and the subsequent disposal of his body in a chest freezer which was moved from the pool villa in Bang Lamung where it is believed Mr Ralter Mack was murdered, to the modest single-story property where it was found last night by police executing a search warrant.
Ralter Mack murdered at a pool villa last week. Butchered body then transported to the house in Nong Prue, Pattaya where it was found Monday night
The property is reported to be located at Soi Chaiyapruek 1, also in the Nong Prue sub-district of Pattaya.
It is from this property, on Wednesday, July 5th last that Mr Ralter Mack’s E350 Mercedes coupé was driven to be left at the temporary car park linked to a condominium complex where police found it on Sunday morning.
The three accused, for which arrest warrants were issued, are 52-year-old Olaf Thorsten Brinkmann, known as Olaf, a German national, 54-year-old Ms Petra Christl Grundgreif, known as Petha, another German national, and 27-year-old Mr Sahruk Kareem Uddin, a 27-year-old man of Pakistani nationality.
The Pakistani man attempted to evade arrest but was collared on Wednesday as he made for the border.
Police reveal Ms Petha has a criminal history in Southern Germany linked with petty fraud activities
Thai police, also on Tuesday, revealed that Ms Petha who has only recently arrived in Thailand or less than 5 years ago, has a criminal history in Southern Germany for small and petty fraud involving the organising of social events for which bills and invoices were not paid before she took flight from the country to come to live in Thailand.
It also emerged on Tuesday that police had detained the 37-year-old wife of Mr Olaf, identified only as Ms Jarunee, originally a resident of Sisaket province and who works in Pattaya as a waitress.
The Thai woman appeared to be in a stressed condition as she was led into Nong Prue police station for questioning on Tuesday. She refused to speak with reporters.
The woman told police officers that she was not involved in her husband’s activities and spent most of her time working at her restaurant job in Pattaya where she earned just ฿300 per day.
On Tuesday, General Surachate said police were examining the case details closely to see if any Thai nationals were culpable in the murder of Mr Ralter Mack.
Police Major General Theerachai Chamnanmor, the investigative commander for Police Region 2 of the Royal Thai Police, personally involved himself in the interrogation of Ms Jarunee as officers begin the exhaustive process of getting to the bottom of exactly what happened to Mr Hans Peter Ralter Mack and what was the motivation for his heinous murder.
A case of extortion which targeted the German because of his business acumen and wealth
Senior police sources have suggested that the German businessman was the victim of an elaborate extortion attempt which targeted his financial accounts and his properties as he was known to be a successful businessman.
General Surachate, on Tuesday, revealed that this was a case of organised crime with Mr Olav attempting to coerce foreign business people into paying protection money with menaces.
Police had earlier detained the German duo on Sunday and they were questioned for three hours, but later revealed that no significant breakthrough was made at that time.
Ms Petha and Mr Olaf were questioned in the presence of lawyers after Ms Petha had earlier on Sunday refused to cooperate with police enquiries without legal advice.
On Tuesday morning, following the discovery of the body of Mr Hans Peter Ralter Mack on Monday night, the superintendent of Nong Pru Police Station Police Colonel Tawee Kutthalaeng moved to have two arrest warrants issued for Ms Petha and Mr Olaf.
This was later followed by an arrest warrant for the Pakistani National which was executed on Wednesday afternoon when he was detained by police in Kanchanaburi where he had been lying low at a hotel.
When interrogated by officers he accepted that he was the man named in the arrest warrant but denied he was involved in the murder of Mr Ralter Mack. He asked to see a lawyer.
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Further reading:
Police quiz German property broker and partner as they impound black SUV in the Ralter Mach case
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Convictions of Burmese Koh Tao murderers and death sentences upheld by Thai Supreme Court
Koh Tao victim’s family endorse the conviction of Myanmar migrants
Koh Tao claims by UK teenager questioned by Thai police – arrest warrants indicated for some media
