South African Tourist Found Dead in Phuket Palm Plantation
A 65-year-old South African tourist, Devendren Naicker, who went missing on November 6 after leaving his Patong hotel, was found dead in an oil palm plantation on November 13. Police are investigating the mysterious death and awaiting formal identification and autopsy results to determine the cause. His clothing matched what he wore when he disappeared, but confirmation is pending.
Phuket: The body of a South African man was found dead under mysterious circumstances in an oil palm plantation. He had only just checked into a hotel on November 6 and disappeared that evening, never to return. Police have sent the body for identity verification.
Following a missing person notice issued on November 9, 2026, for Devendren Naicker, age 65, a South African national, the Belle Air Hotel on Ratuthit 200 Pi Road in Patong, Kathu District, reported him missing. Naicker had checked into the hotel on November 6, left his room that evening, and did not come back. He was due to depart on November 13. His relatives were worried and attempted to locate him.
On the afternoon of November 13, 2026, a report came in of a foreigner's body found inside an oil palm plantation at 13 Phang Muang Sai K. Road in Patong, Kathu, Phuket. Patrol officers, investigators from Patong Police Station, tourist police, forensic officers from Patong Police Station, forensic doctors from Vachira Phuket Hospital, evidence officers, and volunteers from the Kuson Tham Phuket Foundation all responded to inspect the scene and collect evidence.
It has not yet been confirmed whether the deceased is the missing South African tourist Devendren Naicker. Officials are awaiting the results of identity verification and a detailed autopsy to establish the cause of death. Preliminary checks show the clothing on the body matches what Naicker was wearing when he left his accommodation, but confirmation depends on a thorough autopsy and further investigation.
