Widow Weeps While Receiving Husband's Body: Taxi Driver Killed by Neighbor Over 450 Baht Debt
A taxi driver was beaten to death over a 450-baht unpaid fare in Ayutthaya province, with his widow tearfully receiving his body as police arrested a 29-year-old neighbor accused of the killing.
A grieving widow tearfully received the body of her taxi driver husband, beaten to death by a neighboring young man to settle a 450-baht taxi fare debt. She expressed shock that such a tragic loss occurred over a mere few hundred baht. On May 6, 2569, 65-year-old taxi driver Prachuay was found with a fatal head injury in a rice field approximately 1 kilometer from Highway 9 in Ayutthaya province, with his green-yellow taxi parked 5 meters away on May 5. Police from Chang Yai Station arrested 29-year-old Narathorn at a rental room in Pathum Thani, located near the victim's home.
At the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Pathum Thani, 62-year-old Rungkran, Prachuay's widow, collected her husband's body for merit-making at Wat Pa Klang Thung. A four-night chanting ceremony is planned before the cremation on Sunday, May 10, 2569.
Rungkran revealed through tears that she recognized the suspect clearly as they lived in nearby rental homes. She had seen him months earlier at a flower shop requesting a ride to Lat Lum Kaeo District, and later learned he owed Prachuay 450 baht in taxi fare. Her husband left for work as usual on May 3 morning, their last encounter.
"I had a premonition that someone would die in our home, but never imagined it would be my husband," she said tearfully. "I'm heartbroken that over just a few hundred baht, someone would resort to murder."
The landlord reported that Narathorn lived with his parents at the rental. Before the incident, the victim came to collect the debt and even helped repair the suspect's cracked phone screen. On the evening of May 4, the landlord saw the victim following Narathorn to his room before both got into the taxi together.
