Cops arrest love-triangle kill suspect

Police have arrested a man who allegedly shot dead his former girlfriend last week in the compound of the Khurusapha (Teachers Council of Thailand) in Bangkok.

Chamlong Phummalai, 49, a Khurusapha driver, was caught at a house belonging to a relative of his wife in Pho Thong district of Ang Thong province yesterday.

He fled from Bangkok on March 28 after he allegedly shot and killed Wassana Burakorn, 37, an education official.

He had been reportedly romantically involved with the victim who wanted to break up with him after finding out he was seeing another woman.

According to police, Mr Chamlong registered a marriage with the other woman only hours before he shot Wassana.

Mr Chamlong was brought by Ang Thong police to Bangkok yesterday to be questioned by Metropolitan Police Bureau commissioner Sanit Mahathavorn.

Investigators said Wassana had known for a while that Mr Chamlong was involved with another woman and had told him she wanted to leave him. However, Mr Chamlong became angry and threatened her with a gun.

Police said that on March 23, Mr Chamlong went to a bank in Bangkok with 1 million baht in cash on him. He deposited the money in his own account, only to withdraw it two days later and immediately put it into a woman’s account.

The recipient is thought to be the woman he married. The woman is a teacher at a school in Pho Thong district. Mr Chamlong had been in a relationship with her for four years.

Police were investigating to find out where Mr Chamlong obtained the one million baht from and why he killed Wassana shortly after registering his marriage with the other woman.

After the killing, Mr Chamlong was picked up in a car driven by Somchai Sornjin, who was arrested earlier, police said.