Indian Man Kills and Dismembers Compatriot Over Thai Visa Row

An Indian man has been arrested for killing a compatriot he believed ratted him out to Thai immigration police for overstaying his Thai visa. Police say the Indian man also dismembered the mans body to conceal his crime.

Police found the mutilated remains of Mr Mahesh Singh, 52, in Thanyaburi district, Pathum Thani in central Thailand yesterday. His body was cut into two pieces.

Mr Raviprakash Singh, 29, took police officers to the location where he dumped the body after confessing his guilt earlier, Provincial Police Region 1 commissioner Amphon Buarapphon told a press briefing yesterday.

Police also confiscated two motorbikes, a helmet, a knife and a 50-centimetre-long metal bar.

Pol Lt Gen Amphon said the suspect had been arrested twice for overstaying his Thai visa. He was freed on bail set at 80,000 baht by the Thanyaburi Provincial Court.

However, on Monday, as the court ruled to deport him and ordered police to detain him. Earlier in the week police learnt that Mr Surya Pratap Shahi, the dead man’s brother, had filed a missing person report.

Murder and visa overstay

Investigators then found that Mr Raviprakash had ties to the dead man, so they decided to interrogate him for clues for what was then a missing person case. During questioning, Mr Raviprakash admitted to investigators that he murdered Mr Mahesh.

Pol Lt Gen Amphon said the motive for the crime stemmed from a land dispute back in India. Mr Raviprakash also believed the victim was the one who ratted him out to immigration police.

He told police that on Sunday, he invited Mahesh to his room where he used the metal bar to bash the victim’s head.

The victim’s brother, Mr Suria, also told the police Mr Raviprakash had asked his brother to meet him for lunch at his room. To conceal his crime, Mr Raviprakash cut the body into two parts and dumped it under a nearby bridge.

He also kept the dead man’s motorbike’s keys, Pol Lt Gen Amphon said.

After admitting the crime, the suspect handed over the victim’s motorbike’s keys to investigators. He then agreed to  take investigators to where he dumped the remains.

Besides overstaying his Thai Visa, Mr Raviprakash is facing charges of premeditated murder and moving or destroying a corpse to conceal a crime, he said.