Chinese TikTok star Yan Ruimin believed murdered by a fellow Chinese tourist in Bangkok. Police tamp down crime syndicate speculation but identify a key suspect who fled to Hong Kong. Body found in Chachoengsao matches the missing woman. Police seek extradition.
Metropolitan Police Bureau senior officers in Bangkok moved on Sunday to tamp down speculation of a sinister crime syndicate linked to the apparent murder of a Chinese woman reported missing last Friday. Certainly, police appear to have solved the case and have identified a key suspect. He is another Chinese national who fled the kingdom after July 2nd. A body recovered on Saturday is believed to be the missing Chinese TikTok star, Ms. Yan Ruimin. Police believe the 38-year-old woman was murdered sometime on Monday, July 1st.
Police in Bangkok on Sunday were playing down reports of a crime syndicate being linked with a high-profile murder case.
On Saturday, police forensic teams recovered a badly decomposed and dismembered body in Chachoengsao, some 50 km east of Bangkok.
They were thought to be the remains of 38-year-old Chinese tourist Ms Yan Ruimin, who was reported missing on Friday.
Royal Thai police were informed of the missing woman by a close friend. Last heard from her on June 30th
The Royal Thai Police at Bang Rak Police Station were informed by a close friend of the deceased on Friday that she was missing. The friend said she had last heard from the Chinese TikTok star on June 30th.
Previously, she said she was planning on visiting Phuket on July 2nd. Before raising the alarm with police, one of the deceased woman’s relatives in China, a brother-in-law, said he received a ransom demand for ฿5 million.
However, on Sunday, the Deputy Metropolitan Police Bureau deputy chief, Police Major General Noppasin Poolsawat, played down reports of a crime syndicate.
The senior officer suggested some confusion in the messaging between the Chinese friend of the victim and her family in China. Certainly, police believe the Chinese woman was brutally murdered.
Police seek formal identification of remains by forensics following discovery in Chachoengsao on Saturday
However, they are still seeking her formal identification. The remains are currently being examined by the Police General Hospital Forensic team in Bangkok.
In short, they were transported there after police made a grim discovery on Saturday afternoon in Chachoengsao. Police Major General Noppasin gave a full briefing for the media.
At length, they are now looking to question a prime suspect. This is a Chinese national who entered Thailand from Singapore on June 30th.
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Before that, Ms Yan had entered the kingdom on June 26th from Malaysia. At length, she was a regular visitor to Thailand, having visited six times previously.
At the same time, the man who police suspect took her life had visited ten times before.
Investigators trace movements of the victim and suspect from Pattaya to Bangkok. Suspect fled to Hong Kong
Investigators believe that he fled the country shortly after disposing of the woman’s body on July 2nd. Previously, police traced Ms Yan Ruimin’s movements to Pattaya. She stayed there on June 28th and 29th.
Significantly, there was a police incident report at Pattaya Police Station linked with her visit. After that, she returned to Bangkok. Initially, she planned to stay at a hotel but eventually stayed with a friend in the Phra Ram 9 area.
On July 1st, the day she is believed to have been murdered, she called a Grab taxi. In short, it took her to Soi Sukhumvit 12 in the heart of the city, popular with tourists.
At that point, she was met by the key suspect. They travelled to accommodation at Soi 16 and stayed there together. That was until nighttime.
Police have evidence that the suspect, driving a rental car, thereafter, set off from Bangkok heading east. Certainly, he arrived 50 km away and is believed to have stopped no less than 12 times.
Suspect stopped 12 times. Disposed of body, burned documents and debris before moving to new lodgings
At a number of those stops, he got out of his car.
Location number four is where he is understood to have disposed of the body of Ms Yan. Later at his final stop near the centre of Chachoengsao, he stayed for over 1 hour burning documents and other debris.
Later, police traced the man to new accommodation in the Srinakarin area of Bangkok. In short, this was at 5 am on Tuesday, July 2nd. The following day, he returned the car to the rental firm.
Afterwards, investigators found traces of blood at the accommodation used by the suspect.
In addition, they found blood stains throughout the rental car. In particular, on the bonnet of the car. After that, he left the country for Hong Kong. Then, he travelled to Macau.
Police confident remains found match victim. Suspect fled to Hong Kong. Extradition sought for questioning
Police Major General Noppasin indicated that police are now trying to have the suspect arrested and brought back to Thailand for questioning.
At this time, police are confident that the remains found on Sunday are that of the Chinese woman.
For instance, the remains are in keeping with her plastic surgery records in Thailand. The body of the woman was badly decomposed after 10 days buried in the ground
On Saturday, police found the disturbed area near where the man’s car had parked. Police brought in landscaping contractors, they identified an area where a black bag was visible.
After digging a suitably wide area, they found a blue tarpaulin covering. Underneath it was the body of a woman.
At the same time, at other locations, body parts were recovered buried and intermingled with broken tiles.
Macabre case is bad news for Thai tourism with a similar pattern to other crimes involving Chinese victims
This entirely macabre case is bad news for Thai authorities and the country’s tourism prospects. It follows a similar pattern to other abductions and murders that have taken place in the kingdom over the past few years.
Significantly, most of these cases also involved Chinese perpetrators. At the same time, the online media buzz in China links such cases to reports of crime syndicates and mafia gangs.
On Sunday, Police Major General Noppasin Poolsawat tried to dispel these reports. However, as with the case of the murder of a South Korean man in May, it appears that a ransom demand was made.
Undoubtedly, this is what the Chinese family who flew to Bangkok have told the Royal Thai Police. The brother-in-law of the victim attests to this.
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Further reading:
South Korean tourist taken from Bangkok nightlife centre, tortured, murdered and buried in a bin
Fear-mongering, fake news and disinformation being stoked in China against visiting Thailand
Chinese tourists arrested on kidnapping and extortion charges insist they are innocent
