Lotto ticket fingerprints point to cop
Fingerprints found on five winning lottery tickets worth 30 million baht match those of a retired policeman, according to results from the Central Institute of Forensic Science (CIFS) released yesterday.
However, the authority stated verification of the real owner is needed as the DNA on the tickets was tainted with material from several other people, institute director Som Promros said yesterday.
He was announcing the results of the DNA and fingerprint testing on lottery tickets, which won first prize in the Nov 1 draw last year. Five people submitted their fingerprints.
Three claim they are real owners. They are Pol Lt Jaroon Wimol, a retired police officer and his wife Lawan Wimol, and Preecha Kraikruan, a teacher at Thepmongkhonrangsi School in Kanchanaburi’s Muang district. The other two are Ratanaporn Supathip, and Patcharida Promta, lottery sellers who claimed they sold the winning tickets to Mr Preecha.
Analysis found the lottery tickets bear two fingerprints with sufficient details for identification and the fingerprints match those of Pol Lt Jaroon, Mr Som said.
However, the DNA examination found a “mixed DNA profile” on the tickets, comprising DNA from several people. There was a very small amount of genetic material and it could not be used to verify the DNA of a specific person, Mr Som said.
Mr Som insisted the CIFS’s examination was in line with international standards, and the results are final and they do not need to be reviewed.
Provincial Police Region 7 deputy commander Krisana Sapdej, who leads a team of investigators handling the case, yesterday said that the CIFS findings are a major piece of evidence which will help police to piece together information on the case.
However, at this stage, investigators will have to incorporate the CIFS findings with other evidence before they can wrap up the case and establish who the real owner is and who the real culprit is before forwarding the case to prosecutors, Pol Maj Gen Krisana said.
The case is expected to be sent to prosecutors this month, he added.
After the CIFS findings were released, Mr Preecha said that he will continue to battle his case in court, and that he was confident he had sound evidence.
Mr Preecha claimed he won the first prize from a bundle of five lottery tickets, which went missing.
The 50-year-old later filed a police complaint about the disappearance of the tickets.
Pol Lt Jaroon was later found to have claimed the prize from the winning lottery tickets at the Government Lottery Office. Both men insisted they bought the winning tickets.
They both claimed they purchased the lottery from sellers at the “Red City” flea market in Muang district.