DRUG BETRAYAL; SPITEFUL BF; STUDENT DELIGHT; KARAOKE ROW

Betrayal over a huge drug deal is thought to have led to the brutal slaying of a man whose body was dug up from a remote hillside in Nakhon Si Thammarat.

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The victim, Patipon Phitak, better known as “Film Lak Chang”, 35, was found buried in Chang Klang district a month after his family reported him missing.

The body was wrapped in plastic and buried 1.5 metres deep. Police say the earlier arrest of five suspects in Phang Nga province led to the gruesome find.

Following a missing person report filed by the victim’s family on July 17, police secured a search warrant for the homes of the key suspects, a husband-and-wife duo.

Although the couple initially evaded arrest, a joint operation on the night of Aug 27 in Kuraburi district of Phang Nga, near the Thai-Myanmar border, led to the capture of five suspects including the pair. They were taken to Chang Klang station for questioning.

On Aug 28, authorities, with local officials, police dogs, and some suspects, located the burial site. After over an hour of digging, they uncovered a sack containing the victim's body, cemented over.

The murder appears to have been orchestrated by the couple and their 5-6 accomplices after the victim allegedly failed to pay for 42,000 methamphetamine pills.

They lured him to their house, assaulted him, sealed his body in a sack with cement, and buried him on the hill before fleeing.

During searches of the couple’s house, authorities recovered 19 items belonging to the victim, including a motorcycle, helmet, mobile phones, bullets, a CCTV server, and other personal belongings.

Earlier, on Aug 6, police also discovered and seized a large stash of 326,200 methamphetamine pills buried near the suspect's home in Chang Klang.

After more than 40 days of investigation, authorities caught the gang and located Film Laksang’s body. Charges were pending.

He’d rather be miserable