Thailand’s Crime Suppression Division (CSD) are investigating a 29-year old woman who allegedly poisoned two children and displayed their suffering on the social media, to solicit public donations for medical treatment she claimed they needed.
The woman, Ms. Nittha “Mae Pook” Wongwan, was arrested at her residence in the Don Mueang area of Bangkok on May 18th, after she was implicated by another woman, Mae Aim, the biological mother of one of the two children, 4-year old Nong Om Yim, who died of a mysterious illness late last year.
Mae Aim, who was summoned by police for questioning on a fraud charge related to online trading, told the investigators that Mae Pook used her documents to open a bank account, supposedly to purchase health insurance for Nong Om Yim.
A police investigation into fraudulent online trading implicated Mae Pook and they sought a warrant for her arrest. During her arrest, police found five bank books in her possession, three in the name of Mae Aim and two in her own name, with deposits amounting to 20 million baht, allegedly from public donations.
CSD police allege that Mae Pook offered items for sale online while asking for donations, claiming that she is a single mom, raising two children, and that the elder one, Om Yim, suffered from a rare illness.
In January this year, Mae Pook posted details of the sickness of her second child, Im Boon, and asked for donations, along with offering face masks for sale online.
While being treated in hospital, doctors thoroughly checked the condition of Nong Im Boon and found blisters in his mouth, suspecting that the wounds were caused by an orally administered poison.
Doctors then looked into the case of Om Yim and found the two had similar symptoms. They became suspicious of Mae Pook and kept a close eye on her every time she visited her ailing boy, to make sure nothing was put into his mouth.
Eventually, doctors at the hospital lodged a complaint with the police.
CSD police arrested Mae Pook on charges of exploiting her children for ill-gotten gains, attempted murder, assault causing death to another person and public fraud, but she has denied harming her children.
