Pattaya —
A 64-year-old Iranian restaurant owner and his Thai wife were found murdered at their restaurant in Pattaya on the afternoon of July 16th, 2024.
At 12:06 PM today, Pol. Col. Navin Thirawit, Chief of the Pattaya Police Station, received a report of the discovery of two murder victims at the Banoo Restaurant, located in South Pattaya, Nongprue sub-district, Banglamung district, Chonburi province. The victims were the owners of the restaurant. The police immediately coordinated with the forensic team to investigate the scene.
The crime scene was a three-story commercial building with an Iranian restaurant on the ground floor. In a bedroom on the second floor, authorities found the bodies of the victims, identified as Mr. Mojtaba Ghanbariazad, 64, and his Thai wife Ms. Thanaporn Poolprakhon.
Mr. Ghanbariazad was found naked from the waist down, while his wife was covered with a blanket on the bed. The exact cause of death and the weapon used were not immediately known, but police estimated that they had been dead for at least three days, as the bodies were emitting a foul odor. Officers found a hammer nearby and collected it as evidence.
Ms. Kritaporn Ajanikij, 27, reported to The Pattaya News that a friend of the deceased told her that they heard a loud argument between the victims and a male Myanmar employee outside the restaurant before the employee disappeared with the deceased’s motorcycle on July 11th.
Mr. Phan, 57, and Mr. Thong (last name withheld upon request), 57, reported that the restaurant had been closed since July 11th. A relative of the Thai wife came to check on the restaurant and found that the door was locked from the inside. They then contacted the Pattaya police, who forced entry into the building and discovered the bodies.
Mr. Phan suspected that the murderer might be the victims’ Myanmar employee, aged between 25-30. He speculated that the suspect might have decided to kill the victims as part of a robbery.
Police collected evidence from the scene and are waiting for the forensic team to gather more details. The prime suspect is identified as Mr. Min Lwin OO, a 21-year-old Myanmar national. He was believed to have fled with the victim’s motorcycle. Authorities are currently tracking him and gathering additional information from witnesses.
Surveillance footage from July 11th at 11:19 PM shows the suspect riding a motorcycle and parking in front of the restaurant before it was shut and the bodies were discovered.
