Cops detain 3 women suspects
Police yesterday raided a rental apartment room in Din Daeng district of Bangkok and detained two female tenants and one guest for questioning in connection with the Erawan shrine and Sathon pier blasts.
Pol Lt Gen Sriwara Rangsipramanakul, chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, yesterday led an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team to search room No 104 of the Ood women’s dormitory to collect DNA samples and fingerprints after a tip-off that three men had left objects associated with the bombings there, said a source.
The mother of one of the tenants, both of whom are students, had also brought a middle-aged woman — who allegedly knew the man in a blue shirt caught on camera at the Sathon pier bombing on Aug 18 — to stay at the dormitory a couple of months ago.
Pol Lt Gen Sriwara could not confirm whether the three men were among the 12 suspects facing arrest warrants in connection with the Erawan shrine blast, which killed 20 and injured 130 on Aug 17.
Police believe the three men have already fled Thailand, said the source.
Officers are now producing identikit sketches of the men based on the accounts of the three women, who are being detained at a military camp for interrogation, according to the source and confirmed by Pol Lt Gen Sriwara.
The guest of the female student’s mother had organised a taxi service for the blue-shirted suspect when he travelled to Sathon pier.
She had also retrieved the belongings of the bombers afterwards and dropped them off at the dormitory with the two students and the mother, said the source.
The bombers’ belongings had been kept at an apartment between Soi On Nut 44 and 46 in Suan Luang district, which was raided by police on Friday night, said the source.
Police raided the apartment looking for three more possible suspects in the case, but none were found. One of the suspects, Abdul Tawab, was thought to be staying in the apartment block.
Mr Tawab, a 40-year-old Pakistani, is alleged to have twice transferred money to accounts owned by Emrah Davutoglu — the Turkish husband of the Thai suspect, Wanna Suansan.
Ms Wanna had rented a room at the Maimuna Garden apartments, where the bomb-making materials were discovered.
Mr Tawab allegedly transferred 156,106 baht and 157,646 baht to Mr Davutoglu’s bank accounts on Feb 17 and March 17, respectively.
Authorities yesterday collected the bombers’ belongings from the Ood room during their one-hour inspection looking for evidence.
No signs of bomb-making materials or chemicals were found in the dorm room, said the source.