PHUKET: The body of an elderly man who was shot dead has been found at Bang Wad Dam, police confirmed today (June 17).
The deceased was later confirmed as 75-year-old Sawat Hua Hin, originally from Trang province but who was residing in Phuket and who owned dozens of rais of fruit orchards and rubber plantations.
Mr Sawat was killed by a single shot to the head by a thus far unspecified firearm and his body was discovered nearby his plantation land, police confirmed.
Around 1:50am this morning Pol. Maj. Thapapon Phaengpimlo from Kathu Police Station was notified by local villagers that a body had been discovered on a hill in the forest Bang Wad Dam, not far from the nearby golf course.
Maj Thapapon proceeded to the scene and was joined by fellow officers from Kathu Police Station, members of a forensic investigation team and representatives from the Kusoldharm Rescue Foundation rushed to inspect
The exact location of where Mr Sawat’s body lay was in a challenging area on the steep hill that was only accessible by four-wheel drive vehicles and then a 1.5-kilometre walk on foot.
Mr Sawat’s body lay in a ditch about 10 metres from the gravel track. He was wearing a blue vest and black shorts and was lying face down in a pool of blood. A bag with his belongings was found nearby, police confirmed.
Initial estimates suggested Mr Sawat had been dead for at least eight hours. His dead body was then taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital to enable further post mortem examination to be conducted.
On speaking to local residents and member of Mr Sawat’s family it emerged that he lived with two nephews in a mountain cottage nearby where the incident occurred.
Mr Sawat’s wife recalled how he had driven by motorcycle to meet her in Chalong earlier yesterday before returning to Bang Wad Dam to catch shrimp, something he did regularly. After catching shrimp, Mr Sawat parked his motorbike at a friend’s house nearby before walking the final stretch back to his cottage, again, a practice he undertook on a regular basis.
Mr Sawat’s wife tried calling her husband several times around 6pm but was unable to get through to him. It was then that she and the two nephews decided to go an search the nearby forest before they found Mr Sawat’s dead body nearby.
Police admitted that initial investigations suggest the assailant was aware of Mr Sawat’s routine and may have therefore planned to intercept him on his walk back up the hill to his cottage before attacking him. There was blood on the gravel track nearby where Mr Sawat’s body was found and police believe either, after shooting him, the attacker rolled his body off the track into the ditch below, or Mr Sawat rolled off the track hmself.
However, police confirmed investigations are ongoing as they seek to determine who the attacker is and what the motives were behind the killing.
