Graphic CCTV footage has exposed the savage roadside murder of 61-year-old Mr Boonyu Samjai in Trat, showing a suspect allegedly beating him, returning to continue the attack and dragging away his body before an overnight manhunt ended with an arrest.
Thailand has been left horrified after graphic CCTV footage captured the prolonged roadside murder of 61-year-old Mr Boonyu Samjai during what should have been a routine evening walk in Trat, with police alleging a stranger beat him with wooden weapons, returned to continue the attack, dragged his body onto a motorcycle sidecar and sparked an overnight manhunt that ended in an arrest, the discovery of the victim’s body in a rubber plantation and an investigation now examining every minute of one of the year’s most disturbing killings.
Thailand has been left shocked by graphic CCTV images showing the savage murder of a man who had simply gone out for an evening walk in Trat province. The photographs, published on Wednesday, record almost every stage of the attack that ended the life of 61-year-old Mr Boonyu Samjai. Police have since arrested 32-year-old Mr Withawat “Mos” Tanghu, the man seen carrying out the assault.
The attack unfolded at about 5.30pm on Tuesday along Soi Nak Prasit in Moo 9 of Thung Nonsi subdistrict, Khao Saming district. Mr Boonyu had recently moved to the community. Relatives said he regularly walked the route for exercise. They also insisted he had never met the suspect before.
Minutes before the killing, Mr Withawat arrived on a white Honda PCX motorcycle with Trat registration plates. He stopped beside the victim and began talking to him. The exchange appeared brief. However, the conversation suddenly turned into an argument. Seconds later, the first punch was thrown.
Brutal roadside assault captured on CCTV as argument suddenly turns into a sustained and fatal attack
Mr Boonyu attempted to defend himself as the violence escalated. He reached towards a nearby pile of wood. The effort failed. Police said Mr Withawat seized the stick first and repeatedly struck the older man on the head. The blows sent Mr Boonyu crashing onto the roadside.
Even then, the assault did not stop. CCTV footage shows local residents gathering nearby as the attack unfolded. Some stood frozen. Others edged closer. Notably, reports indicate one resident tried to intervene. The attempt failed. The suspect continued beating the victim despite the growing crowd.
Police said Mr Withawat then left the scene on his motorcycle. Moments later, he returned carrying a bamboo pole. He again attacked the elderly man, striking his head repeatedly while he lay motionless. By then, investigators believe the victim had suffered devastating injuries.
The violence was still not over. Instead, the suspect rode to his nearby durian orchard. There, he switched vehicles and returned driving a blue motorcycle sidecar. CCTV footage shows him dragging Mr Boonyu’s limp body onto the sidecar before leaving the area. The vehicle then headed towards the orchard, approximately 750 metres away.
Police discover bloodstains and firearms as the search for the victim quickly shifts to a nearby orchard
In response, emergency services were dispatched after the Thung Nonsi Subdistrict administration received reports of a serious assault at 5.08pm. Police from Khao Saming Police Station raced to the scene alongside local officials, village leaders and volunteers from the Sawang Boon Chuay rescue foundation. However, both men had disappeared before officers arrived.
Instead, detectives began reconstructing the crime through CCTV footage and witness accounts. The recording provided investigators with a detailed timeline. It also documented the suspect’s repeated returns to the scene and the removal of the victim.
Police quickly searched the suspect’s orchard. Officers discovered bloodstains behind the property. They also recovered a handgun and a shotgun lying side by side. However, there was no sign of Mr Boonyu. Investigators initially believed his body had been thrown into a nearby pond.
As a result, volunteer rescue divers entered the water while forensic officers secured the orchard. Police Lieutenant Prachya Pinrat, the investigating officer at Khao Saming Police Station, supervised the evidence collection. Officers photographed the bloodstains and seized both firearms. They also continued searching surrounding land.
Manhunt expands across Trat after suspect vanishes and locals unknowingly help him evade capture
In parallel, police widened the manhunt across Thung Nonsi, Huai Raeng and Wang Takian subdistricts. Roadblocks were established along suspected escape routes. Officers also circulated details of the suspect and the blue motorcycle sidecar.
Soon afterwards, investigators received fresh information. Residents reported that the sidecar had crashed near the Ta Kad reservoir in neighbouring Huai Raeng subdistrict. By the time officers arrived, the suspect had already vanished.
On another front, a local resident unknowingly helped the fugitive escape. The man later told reporters he found someone soaked from head to toe beside the road. The stranger claimed his vehicle had run out of fuel. Believing the story, the resident gave him a lift to a friend’s house several kilometres away. Only later did he discover his passenger was the man police were hunting.
Separately, village headman Phongsan Kruapinchai explained how the suspect slipped through a police checkpoint. Officers had never previously seen him. Consequently, they failed to recognise him as he travelled inside another resident’s sidecar.
Suspect arrested after hours on the run as police challenge account of victim’s final movements
The manhunt finally ended at about 11.05 pm on Tuesday. Police arrested Mr Withawat at a house near Wat Bamron in Mueang district. He was taken directly to Khao Saming Police Station for questioning.
During interviews, the suspect denied disposing of the victim’s body. Instead, he claimed Mr Boonyu had jumped from the motorcycle sidecar. Detectives rejected parts of that account. They said his statements were inconsistent. Moreover, police said he refused to reveal where he had abandoned the vehicle.
The overnight search, therefore, continued. At approximately 10.10 am on Wednesday, officers made the grim discovery. Mr Boonyu’s naked body was found in a rubber plantation in Moo 3 of the Thung Nonsi subdistrict. The plantation lies about 1.8 kilometres from where the attack began.
Police immediately sealed the area. Forensic specialists examined the plantation before removing the body for a post-mortem examination. Family members later arrived at the scene. They watched as investigators completed their work.
Divers recover sidecar while the grieving family insists the victim had never previously met the suspect
Later that day, divers recovered the submerged motorcycle sidecar from the Ta Kad reservoir. The reservoir lies about 5.8 kilometres from where the victim’s body was found. Investigators also seized a blue plastic container discovered inside the vehicle. Police are examining whether it was used during the crime. However, no conclusions have been announced.
Mr Boonyu’s 55-year-old sister, Ms Ratsami Samjai, said her brother had lived in the area for less than a year. She described him as someone who regularly exercised and kept to himself. She also insisted he had never known the suspect.
According to relatives, the confrontation began with a simple question. The suspect allegedly asked Mr Boonyu why he was looking at him. Within moments, the roadside encounter descended into fatal violence.
“I want the perpetrator to face the consequences of what he has done,” Ms Ratsami said.
Detectives continue to look for a motive as frightened witnesses refuse to discuss the shocking roadside killing
Meanwhile, reporters found the community shaken by the attack. Several witnesses refused interviews. Others admitted they feared the suspect might return. The CCTV images, now widely circulated, have intensified public attention because they captured the sustained assault in full view of bystanders.
Police have not announced a motive. Investigators are continuing to examine every stage of the killing. They are also reviewing reports that Mr Withawat has a history of drug use, repeated arrests and previous rehabilitation.
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Local residents made similar claims. However, detectives have not linked those reports directly to the murder.
As the investigation continues, officers are analysing forensic evidence from the orchard, the rubber plantation, the abandoned sidecar and the reservoir. They are also reviewing witness statements.
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