Police Arrest Friend for Killing Disabled Lottery Seller in Nan
Tha Wang Pha police arrested a 43‑year‑old man who confessed to killing his disabled lottery‑seller friend over a 5,000‑baht debt, stuffing the body in a fertilizer sack and dumping it in the Nan River. The victim’s body was later found downstream, more than ten kilometres from the alleged dump site. Investigators are continuing to verify the suspect’s account and gather further evidence.
On October 14, 2026, Police Lt Col Suriya Khuntho of Tha Wang Pha police station received an update on the search for Tatthaphong, also known as Nga, a 45‑year‑old disabled lottery vendor who disappeared on October 9 together with his motorcycle, lottery stall and some cash. Investigators reviewed CCTV footage and gathered evidence, noticing irregularities with the missing man’s motorcycle. They identified a 43‑year‑old man nicknamed Eak who was seen riding the same bike around the village and brought him in for questioning. When police told him a witness had seen him riding the victim’s motorcycle, Eak confessed to killing Nga, placing the body in a fertilizer sack and dumping it in the Nan River to conceal the crime.
During interrogation, Eak said he was a close friend of Nga and had repeatedly bought lottery tickets on credit from him, leaving a debt of 10,000 baht, of which he had repaid 5,000 baht, leaving another 5,000 baht outstanding. On the day of the incident he contacted Nga to arrange a partial repayment, agreeing to meet at a designated spot. Eak claimed he had been drinking with friends and was intoxicated when he rode to the meeting point near a rubber plantation. Nga signaled him to stop, then threatened to pursue payment from Eak’s mother‑in‑law and wife if the debt was not settled, which provoked Eak’s anger. He grabbed Nga’s neck, choked him until he fell, then struck him repeatedly with a nearby piece of wood until he fell unconscious. After confirming Nga was dead, Eak dragged the body into the plantation, fetched a fertilizer sack, placed the corpse inside, loaded it onto the motorcycle and dumped it in the Nan River, saying the dump site was about one kilometre from the scene.
Police subsequently searched the areas Eak mentioned. At the rubber plantation they found bloodstains on the road, a blood‑stained face mask and a piece of wood believed to be the murder weapon. At Eak’s property they located the victim’s motorcycle hidden with its license plate removed. At the riverside spot he indicated as the dump site, no additional evidence was initially found. Rescue teams and relatives then launched a search, dividing into two groups—one drifting downstream, the other paddling upstream. Around 1:00 p.m. they were informed that a body wrapped in a sack had been caught on a tree branch near Ban Don Kaeng in Talachum subdistrict, more than ten kilometres from the spot Eak claimed to have used.
The corpse was bloated, with hands and feet protruding from the untied sack. Authorities recovered the body and sent it to the forensic department of Nan Hospital for an autopsy and detailed determination of the cause of death. Police noted that Eak enjoys cockfighting gambling and often bought lottery tickets from the victim, but they said his claims about the debt and the killing in a fit of rage still need verification. They added that they do not fully trust his statement because he initially said he had dumped the body in a pond, leading investigators to search four ponds before he changed his story to the Nan River. Investigations continue.
