Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, the deputy national police chief, who is in charge of overseeing the cyanide poisoning investigations, said that the police asked the court to grant temporary release for Vitoon and coordinated with the director-general of the Corrections Department to gain access to the suspect, after Vitoon had offered to try to persuade her to plead guilty.
Vitoon, former deputy superintendent of Ban Pong district police in Ratchaburi province, is facing charges of embezzlement, fraud and falsification of documents. He has confessed to all the charges against him, but has told police interrogators that Sararat had engaged in some “grey” business while they were together. They have remained in contact because they have to look after two children, he said.
Latest reports say that the Nakhon Pathom Provincial Court released Vitoon today (Thursday) on 100,000 baht bail, on the condition that he must not interfere with the cyanide poisoning investigations.
Surachate said that he will escort Vitoon to see Sararat if permission is granted.
Sararat has denied all the charges and her lawyer has vowed to fight the cases in court.
It is also reported that police will seek a 15th arrest warrant against Sararat next Tuesday, related to the suspicious death of a female victim, identified only as “Sai”.
Vitoon now has a new girlfriend, “Noina”, who, together with Vitoon and Sararat, went to Hua Hin on April 14th, the same day that a victim named “Koi” collapsed and died while she and Sararat were in Ban Pong district to release fish on a merit-making trip.
Surachate said that police have questioned Noina and her statements are useful in the police investigation.
Meanwhile, police searched Vitoon’s house in Nakhon Pathom and Sararat’s house in Kanchanaburi today, looking for cyanide.
Police have also discovered that more than 700 people have bought cyanide from a distributor in Bangkok’s Lat Krabang area, but only about 100 of them, including a few actresses, would be questioned.
Surachate said that cyanide is mostly used in gold shops and some other industries, but several other people had access to the lethal chemical via online platforms, adding that he has sought cooperation from the Industrial Works Department by tightening up control of the trade in the chemical.
