CHIANG MAI – Police Lt Gen Krittathapol Yisakorn has told a press briefing that investigators are moving quickly to solve a murder case after the body of a young Chinese man was found in a roadside forest in Mae Rim National Park in Chiang Mai.
Investigators believe he was tricked into travelling from Laos to Chiang Mai by a group of fellow Chinese nationals under the pretext of a business meeting. Once in Thailand, he was kidnapped, held for ransom, and later killed, with his body dumped in a wooded area.
The body was found wrapped in a black bag, a bedsheet, and plastic, left in roadside scrub near Ban Pang Wae, Mae Rim district. Police believe the victim is Mr. Zhuang Zhou Yang, a 24-year-old Chinese man reported missing by his family.
Lt Gen Krittathapol said his team have been tracking the case closely. The investigation began after Mr. Yang’s sister sought help from police when her brother disappeared.
She said he had crossed the border from the King’s Roman Special Economic Zone in Laos through Sop Ruak Immigration in Chiang Saen, Chiang Rai. Mr. Yang travelled with a Chinese friend, Mr. Hu Gang, by taxi to Chiang Mai on 8 July, then vanished. Later, the kidnappers demanded a ransom of 3 million baht.
Police managed to find Mr. Hu Gang at a Chiang Mai hotel on 10 July. Mr. Hu’s name had come up during the ransom call to Mr. Yang’s sister. Mr. Hu said he was also held by the gang and had to pay 1.5 million baht for his release. Police charged him with illegal entry and kept him in custody for questioning.
Mr. Hu told the police that Mr. Sang Benzin and Mr. Wang Shuang, both Chinese nationals, had arranged for him and Mr. Yang to come to Chiang Mai, supposedly for a business meeting in the Nimman area. After a meal, they went to a rented house in San Phak Wan, Hang Dong.
Mr. Hu claimed that when he woke up, he was tied up and threatened with a knife until he paid the ransom. He was then taken to Mr. Yang’s room, where he found his friend dead. That night, Mr. Sang and Mr. Wang took both Mr. Hu and the body of Mr. Yang and dumped the body in the Mae Rim forest, then left Mr. Hu at a hotel, where police later found him.
Police tracked down Mr. Sang Benzin on 11 July at Kad Farang Market in Hang Dong and searched the rented house. They found bloodstains in both the garage and bedroom. Mr. Sang claimed Mr. Wang Shuang killed Mr. Yang with a hammer and helped dispose of the body.
He also said Mr. Wang fled, taking the murder weapon and the victim’s phone, which he threw into the forest.
Investigations showed that Mr. Sang and Mr. Wang contacted Mr. Hu and Mr. Yang, inviting them to Chiang Mai under the promise of expanding their business from the King’s Roman Zone. The real plan was to lure them, demand ransom, and kill them.
Police are still questioning Mr. Hu to determine if he was involved in the kidnapping and murder or if he was simply another victim.
