Pol Col Anek Taosuparb, deputy commander of the Crime Suppression Division, told the media Saturday night that murder charges were filed by the police against a Thai female suspect, 36-year-old “Sararat”, in connection with the deaths of eight people, believed to have been poisoned with cyanide.

The eight victims include:

• Daranee, who died on December 13^th, 2020, in Samphran district of Nakhon Pathom
• Surat, who died on January 6^th, 2021 in Kanchanaburi
• Kanikar, who died on September 12th, 2022 in Ratchaburi
• Rotjarin, who died on August 10^th, 2022 in Samut Sakhon
• Maneerat, aka “Khru Tai”, who died on September 10th last year in Nakhon Pathom
• Kanda, a police officer, who died on August 10th last year in Nakhon Pathom
• Phusadee, who died on November 20th last year in Nakhon Pathom.

One victim in Kanchanaburi, Kantima, survived the attempt on her life.

Two earlier cases, for which arrest warrants had been issued, concern the deaths of Siriporn, who died on April 14^th in Ratchaburi, and Nipa, another police officer, who died on April 1^st in Kanchanaburi. In both cases, traces of cyanide were found in their blood following autopsies.

32-year-old Siriporn, a member of a “share” money lending scheme, together with Sararat and others, was reported to have travelled to Ban Pong district of Ratchaburi to release fish into the Mae Klong River with the suspect in a merit-making ritual. She collapsed at the pier and her body was sent to the Police General Hospital’s Institute of Forensic Medicine for an autopsy, which confirmed the presence of cyanide.

The confirmation of the presence cyanide metabolites in the body of Siriporn and her relationship with Sararat provided the police with their first major lead, which led to the arrest of the suspect on April 25^th and an extended investigation, resulting in the unearthing of a series of suspicious deaths, all linked to the suspect, according to the police.

According to the CSD, all the deceased victims were connected to Srarat through financial dealings in the “share” scheme, car and land mortgages and other borrowing.

Rapee Chamnanrua, a man who was asked by Siriporn’s relatives to help them investigate her suspicious death, met with Pol Col Anek yesterday (Saturday) to give a statement about the case and to pass the evidence he obtained to the police.

The CSD deputy commander said that police will question a nurse at a hospital in Thon Buri, who is reported to be a close friend of the suspect.