Former Village Head Found Dead at Chonburi Vehicle Inspection Site
A former village head was found shot dead on a bed at a vehicle inspection centre in Bang Lamung, Chonburi, on October 5. Police say he was killed with a .380 mm pistol and are investigating two possible motives, focusing on three unknown men who had approached him earlier. Authorities are reviewing CCTV and will question the suspects while awaiting autopsy results.
At around 7:06 pm on October 5, police responded to a report of a shooting at a vehicle inspection facility in Bang Lamung district. Police Lieutenant Ruangsak Siri-but of Huai Yai Police Station, together with Pol. Col. Warawut Nitiwan, the station’s superintendent, led investigators, rescue volunteers from the Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Foundation in Pattaya, and officers from Chonburi Provincial Police’s Forensic Science Division 2 to the scene. The victim, identified as Manas (surname withheld), a 67‑year‑old former village head and business owner, was found dead on a bed inside the facility’s front office. He had been shot once in the right temple with a .380 mm pistol; the weapon was still in his right hand and a single spent cartridge was found on the floor. Police secured the area and prevented unrelated persons from approaching.
Inside a Nissan sedan registered in Chonburi, officers discovered a charcoal stove, which they photographed as evidence. Relatives said the victim had previously considered harming himself but had been dissuaded by his grandson, who found him asleep in the car and woke him before he returned to his room.
Witnesses An, 33, and Note, 32, told police that three unknown men had arrived earlier asking for the victim. Seeing him asleep in the car, they called An to wake him. After a brief conversation, the victim went back to his room. Shortly afterward, An’s mother heard gunshots and came to check, discovering the victim already dead. She alerted relatives and then called the police.
Pol. Col. Warawut initially ordered the investigation team to review CCTV footage and suggested the motive could be linked to the victim’s financial troubles, noting he reportedly had to pay daily illegal‑loan interest of 40,000 baht. Forensic officers were instructed to move the body for an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death, while investigators will interview close associates to clarify the motive. Additionally, police were directed to locate and question the three men who had approached the victim, as relatives suspect they may have been debt collectors seeking repayment of the illegal loan.
