Lab tests raise puppy poser

Pills found in the stomach of a puppy allegedly drugged and killed by its owner, a medical student, in July to claim compensation were not vitamins or dietary supplements as claimed by the suspect, lab tests have revealed.

The results were announced by Banchong Kittirattrakarn, director of the Regional Medical Sciences Centre 2 in Nakhon Ratchasima.

He said the lab had concluded its tests on two of three samples of pills collected from the puppy’s stomach, which were sent for examination by provincial police.

Mr Banchong said the pills were not vitamins or dietary supplements, but did not identify their ingredients.

He added the finding will be conveyed to Pho Klang police tomorrow.

Phattarapong Songsapkul, a Mahidol University medical student from Nakhon Ratchasima, is suspected of killing at least one puppy by means of a drug overdose to profit from a delivery service’s compensation coverage.

Earlier, HSK Express International and Service Co, a pet delivery business, complained to police that Mr Phattarapong, who bought an insurance policy for his seven-month-old Pomeranian, demanded 40,000 baht in compensation. He claimed the animal died while being transported to a pet hospital on July 31 in Nakhon Ratchasima. The firm’s owner refused to pay him, arguing the animal was still alive when it arrived at its destination.

Mr Phattarapong allegedly made a similar claim for another Pomeranian that died after being transported from Bangkok to a pet hospital in his hometown.