A pregnant woman accused of killing at least 14 people by poisoning them with cyanide had huge gambling debts, according to police. Thailand’s deputy national police chief Surachate Hakparn says Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn’s massive debts from online gambling are believed to be the main motive behind the alleged killings.
According to a Nation Thailand report, Surachate says investigating officers uncovered a total of 78 million baht, in 180 different bank accounts held by Sararat. It’s understood the accounts were used to transfer money to and from a number of online gambling sites.
“She was gambling to the tune of about 1 million baht per day. Investigators also found that these accounts received money that had been transferred from some of the victims’ accounts.”
Sararat is accused of using cyanide to poison at least 14 people she had borrowed money from, or who had invested in various schemes she was running. An alleged fifteenth victim survived. The families of some victims say that when the bodies of their loved ones were returned to them, their valuables were missing.
Sararat, who is several months pregnant, has been in custody and denied bail since her arrest on April 25. Police are now tracing the source of the cyanide she allegedly used to poison the victims.
According to Surachate, officers have now investigated more than 700 factories and narrowed their focus to 10 that are suspected of selling the toxic chemical to the murder suspect. In addition, police are checking if Sararat may have had accomplices, by investigating over 400 pieces of evidence from where the alleged murders took place.
Police have also filed several charges against the suspect’s ex-husband, a former policeman. Withoon Rangsiwuthaporn is accused of helping to destroy evidence, along with forgery, using forged official documents, and receiving stolen goods.
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
