Thai police looking for seventh man after six foreigners found dead in posh Bangkok hotel, source says case may be debt-related

Nevin Al Sukari - Sana'a - Policemen inspect Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel after an incident in which six bodies were found dead there. July 16, 2024. — AFP pic

By Malay Mail

Wednesday, 17 Jul 2024 12:17 PM MYT

BANGKOK, July 17 — Thai Police have reportedly ramped up their investigation into the discovery of six foreign bodies in a luxury Bangkok hotel, probing the potential involvement of a seventh individual.

Bangkok-based news portal Khaosod English also reported in a X post that a police source said the deaths may be related to debt issues.

“We’re currently searching for the seventh person because the numbers don’t match the check-in records. If they came together, there should be travel information, seat numbers, and airline details,” its report said quoting Metropolitan Police Bureau Commander, Lieutenant-General Thiti Saengsawang.

“We need to verify if this person actually entered the country. We’ve asked the embassy to check the occupations of the deceased and their purpose for traveling to Thailand. We’re also questioning the staff who served food to see if they noticed anything unusual.”

Earlier, the news outfit reported citing Thiti confirming that there were no signs of robbery or assault, leading authorities to suspect the individuals might have consumed something harmful.

The police reportedly said that there were no visible wounds, and their belongings remained undisturbed, while the door to the room was locked from the inside and had to be accessed through a back entrance.

Khaosod wrote that currently, both the Metropolitan Police and Immigration Police are focusing on verifying if the seventh person actually entered the country and gathering detailed information about the six deceased individuals through their respective embassies and social media.

The six deceased individuals were found in two groups: four in the living area and two in the bedroom, comprising three males and three females.

They did not check in together. Five rooms were booked for seven people, but only five individuals were recorded as checking in, even though six bodies were found.

Forensic evidence indicated that six plates of untouched Thai meals and six cups of mixed drinks were found in the living room.

All six, who were of Vietnamese descent, with two carrying US passports, checked into Bangkok’s Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel at two separate times after arriving on Saturday and Sunday, AFP reported.

Thai prime minister Srettha Thavisin, who visited the hotel late on Tuesday with senior police officials, ordered a swift investigation on the matter, the government said in a statement.