As part of an current search for a South African male person who supposedly murdered a Thai jewellery businessperson at the weekend, law enforcement have reached Interpol for help in apprehending the individual, who has rumored to have fled to Hong Kong, Immigration Bureau commissioner Pol Lt-General Surachate Hakparn stated on Monday.
Surachate confirmed cops were in the process of collecting evidence to file for an arrest warrant for South African national Mzwakhe Memela, 38, who was suspected of murdering businesswoman Susama Ruenrit, 35, from Kanchanaburi, whose body was discovered in a Bangkok motel room on Sunday.
Once the warrant was submitted, they would cooperate with Interpol and Hong Kong law enforcement to assist in locating and apprehending the murderer, he stated.
The detectives probe is still in progress and had not yet revealed the motive for the slaying, nor sure what connection the murderer had with the dead victim, Surachate stated.
Law enforcement had initially confirmed Memela was captured on security-camera CCTV exiting Susama’s sixth-floor motel room in Lat Phrao area on Sunday morning.
Her corpse was later discovered at noon the same day by workers of the motel located on Soi Lat Phrao 130, after they had been no answer to their knock on the door.
They had used an extra key to open the room following Susama’s refusal to clear the due room bills.
Hotel workers informed the cops after discovering her body – which had indicated blunt-force trauma to the skull – wrapped in a bed covering.
Police said Susama had registered in the hotel at 9.50pm on Saturday, before leaving and coming back at 4am.
CCTV cameras revealed Memela approaching her room at 8am on Sunday and going out at 8.45.
He was captured making his way back to the lift while looking at Susama’s room.
Detectives concluded Memela had gone to the room to cut a jewellery deal, but when discussion went sour, he hit and murdered her.
In a different but similar incident, Surachate on Monday also gave a policy address to 475 immigration police officers from the rank of inspector up to deputy commander, who had reported to their new assignments following the annual reshuffle.
He stressed to them the law enforcement’s job in fighting transnational crime and apprehending and deporting aliens found wanting .
Surachate also stated that a draft rectification to new Immigration law would be looked at by the advisory board on Tuesday.
If agreed, the legal revision would help smooth the way for non citizen investors’ legal business investments in Thailand, but would be tougher in respect to those non-citizens whose investments are a front for disguised criminal intent such as fraud.
He stated that among the revised section of the amendment would also be the need for a higher sum of cash – from the current Bt800,000 – to be deposited in a bank account, and an extended time of above the current half a year that the cash must be left in the account, with a view to countering the forging of bank-account reports by aliens applying for business visas.
As soon as it is passed into law in the near future, this legal modification – in conjunction with the clearer and more precise design of new Thai immigration stamps – would be highly helpful in conducting out the immigration cops operation , the Immigration Bureau head stated.
