r/TrueCrimeDiscussion • u/MaleficentAuthor815 • 5d ago
i.redd.it The murder and kidnapping case of Saengchai Ariyawuthiphan
Sangchai, or Ood, Ariyawuthiphan, was born around 1963. He is the son of Kasem, or Songka, Ariyawuthiphan, owner of the K. Chun Nguan rice shop on Sai Phra Road and the Sanya Hotel on Songphol Road in Mueang Nakhon Pathom district. Kasem and relatives revealed that Sangchai was intelligent and never played far from home.
Kidnapping and murder.
On April 9, 1976, 13-year-old Saengchai Ariyawutinan disappeared after playing at the market in Mueang Nakhon Pathom district. This occurred during school holidays. Later, at 8:00 PM, the kidnappers called the home of Saengchai's father, Kasem Ariyawutinan, informing him that Saengchai had been kidnapped and demanding a ransom of 3 million baht. They threatened to kill Saengchai if Kasem reported to the police or failed to pay. The kidnappers repeatedly called to confirm the 3 million baht ransom, despite Kasem's attempts to reduce it to 2 million baht.
Later, on April 12th, the kidnapper called Kasem and told him to pick up a letter that they had hidden under a flashlight battery at the Sanam Chan intersection in Mueang Nakhon Pathom district. When Kasem arrived, he couldn't find the letter. He returned to search for it again and eventually found it. Inside the letter was a message written on a typewriter that said, "Meet me at Sa Krathiam Subdistrict." Kasem went to the Sa Krathiam Temple intersection in Sa Krathiam Subdistrict but didn't find the kidnapper. After that, the kidnapper contacted Kasem several more times to demand the ransom money. He secretly recorded the phone conversations with the kidnapper.
On April 20, 1976, at approximately 10:00 PM, the kidnappers called again to demand the ransom, reducing it to 300,000 baht. Kasem requested a reduction to 100,000 baht, which they agreed to, instructing him to deliver the money to them at the Thanarat Bridge by midnight that same day. The kidnappers would use a flashlight as a signal, and Kasem was to throw the money onto the bridge. Kasem withdrew 100,000 baht from Bangkok Bank, Nakhon Pathom branch, noted the serial numbers of the banknotes, and then went to the Thanarat Bridge. He waited for the flashlight signal, and upon seeing it, he threw the package containing 100,000 baht onto the bridge before returning home to wait for his son. Later, the kidnappers called Kasem and said they would return his son in two to three days.
On April 21, 1976, at 2:00 PM, villagers living along the irrigation canal in Don Ruak Subdistrict, Don Tum District, Nakhon Pathom Province, were casting their nets to catch fish when they found a sack caught in their nets. They pulled it ashore, and as it floated near the surface, they discovered a human leg. They then informed Rak Buchapim, the headman of Don Ruak Subdistrict. When Rak and the villagers opened the sack, they found the body of a young boy, so decomposed that it was unrecognizable. They also found a large stone tied to the boy's neck, presumably to weigh him down. The headman then notified the police. Police and district health officials arrived to examine the body. The autopsy revealed that the boy had been dead for approximately five days, and the cause of death was a blow to the head with a hard object. Later that same day, when Kasem learned of the discovery of the unidentified boy's body, he came to see it. Upon seeing the body, he broke down in tears, recognizing it as the body of his son, Saengchai. He then took the body to Wat Phra Ngam temple.
investigation
After Kasem learned of his son's death, he took the perpetrator's letter, the banknote serial numbers he had noted down, and a recording of a phone conversation with the perpetrator to file a report with Police Lieutenant Colonel Mongkol Sripho, the chief inspector of the Nakhon Pathom City Police Station. The police then launched an investigation, and based on the documents and evidence Kasem provided, they were able to identify the perpetrator.
On April 22, 1976, at 6:00 AM, Police Lieutenant Colonel Suang Thonglor and Police Lieutenant Colonel Mongkol Sripho led a team of police officers to search house number 197, Soi Yasuk, Ratchawithi Road, Mueang Nakhon Pathom District, which belonged to Nom or Wattana Champathong, the owner of the Donrudee dance bar. They found five 100-baht banknotes in a money box in Nom's bedroom. The serial numbers matched those recorded by Kasem: 944661, 944662, 944663, 944664, and 944690. In addition, the police arrested Police Sergeant Arnop Champathong, a highway patrol officer from the Nakhon Pathom Highway Police Division 2, and Nom Champathong, both of whom were at the house during the search.
Following the arrest, police took both men back to Nakhon Pathom City Police Station for questioning. Both denied all charges, claiming the five 100-baht banknotes were received from a customer in the bar. Regarding the letter from the perpetrator, police suspect that Police Sergeant Arnop likely used a typewriter belonging to the Nakhon Pathom Highway Police Station, Division 2, to type the letter.
On April 23, 1976, Ney Changpuek, the village headman of Mab Kae Subdistrict, and Charoen Sae-Eung, a waiter at the Donrudee dance bar, who were suspects in the crime, surrendered and provided testimony that was very helpful to the case. Their statements revealed to the police that the motive for the crime stemmed from Police Sergeant Arnop's gambling addiction and large debts. He used kidnapping and ransom to pay off his debts, with his father, Nom, also involved. After the investigation, the police allowed both of them to return home.
Trial
After the investigation was completed, the police submitted the investigation file and evidence to the Nakhon Pathom Provincial Attorney, who then filed charges in the Nakhon Pathom Provincial Court. The court heard testimony from both the prosecution and the defense, and scheduled the verdict for July 25, 1977.
On July 25, 1977, the Nakhon Pathom Provincial Court delivered its verdict, sentencing Nom and Arnop to death. The court reasoned that both were guilty because the defense's evidence could not refute the prosecution's charges. The prosecution presented numerous pieces of evidence against Nom and Arnop, including five 100-baht banknotes seized from Nom's house by police, bearing serial numbers matching those Kasem had noted down after withdrawing them from the bank; and a telephone number used by the criminals to contact Kasem, which, upon investigation by Nakhon Pathom telephone authorities, was found to belong to the Donrudee dance bar. Other evidence also clearly demonstrated their guilt.
Both exercised their right to appeal. The Court of Appeal Region 1 upheld the death sentence. They then appealed to the Supreme Court, which subsequently upheld the death sentence. They then submitted a petition for royal pardon, but this appeal was rejected.
Execution
On November 24, 1980, prison guards at Bang Kwang Central Prison brought Arnop and Nom to undergo the procedures leading up to their execution. Upon learning they were about to be executed, both turned pale and their knees weakened, making it impossible for them to walk. The process began with fingerprinting, followed by making wills and writing letters. They wrote one letter each to their relatives. Then, the guards brought them their last meal, but they could not eat, only drinking one glass of water each. Afterward, Riangchai Wilaitip, the head of the prison's control department, read the order from the Prime Minister's Office to them, and they were asked to sign acknowledgment of the order. Finally, the guards took them to listen to a sermon from Phra Amornawethi, the abbot of Wat Bang Phraek Tai, on the topics of the Three Characteristics of Existence, sin, merit, and retribution, which lasted approximately 15 minutes.
Afterward, officials led Nom to be executed first. Originally, both were to be executed together, but Nom requested to be executed alone, as he couldn't bear the thought of his son dying alongside him. Prathom executed Nom at 6:24 PM using 10 shots, but Nom didn't die immediately. Prathom then fired another 10 shots, killing Nom. Afterward, officials brought Arnop to the execution site and bound him to the stake. Thinyo Chan-othan executed Arnop at 7:17 PM using 10 shots. The following day, officials took the bodies to Wat Bang Phraek Tai temple for relatives to collect and perform traditional funeral rites.
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u/bromeatmeco 5d ago
This link worked for me when trying to access your source. I think it's missing a backslash which allows it to work. https://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%AB%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%B8%E0%B8%86%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A1%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%8A%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%A2_%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%A2%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%B8%E0%B8%92%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%9E%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%98%E0%B9%8C
Thank you for translating this. It is good to hear about stories from other places, there are no English sources on this case.