A quick response by Thai police on Wednesday and a mistake by a Kazakh hitman who attempted to murder a Russian national leaving him in a coma led to the attacker’s arrest hours later at the island’s international airport.
A 49-year-old Kazakh hitman’s fastidiousness about leaving a rented motorcycle with its number plate intact proved his undoing on Wednesday when police used it to identify and later arrest him at Phuket International Airport as he attempted to depart the kingdom after shooting a Russian man in the Thalang district of the island.
A quick and intensive response to what appears to be a contract shooting occurred in Phuket on Wednesday when police were able to arrest a 49-year-old Kazakh national at Phuket International Airport before he made his escape from the kingdom after earlier in the day gunning down a 44 year old Russian national in the Thalang district of Phuket.
The arrested man has been identified as Mr Arthur Legay.
Police were able to identify him after finding a rented Yamaha motorcycle at the scene, some 700 metres from where he carried out the hit on the Russian man outside a tapas bar in the Choeng Talay sub-district of Thalang on the holiday island.
Russian man driving an electric car hit three times in the chest, torso and upper arm when four shots were fired by the Kazakh assassin into the vehicle
Police at Cherng Talay Police Station received a report of the shooting at 11.45 am on Wednesday after the victim, later identified as Mr Dmitry Alenikov was hit three times, in the chest, torso and upper arm after fours shots were fired into his electric car when he pulled up outside a bar that he visited regularly on a street near the popular Boat Avenue area in that part of the island.
The Russian victim was driving a distinctive blue ORA electric vehicle sedan, registration No. 9492 Phuket made by the Chinese firm Grew Wall Motors.
His attacker was wearing a green jacket and red helmet with a visor while riding a grey Yamaha motorbike.
Witnesses said that the motorbike pulled up near the car, the motorcyclist got off and fired into the car four times before remounting his vehicle and making his escape from the scene.
Police found the rented motorbike in muddy conditions 700 metres from the shooting and noticed the number plate had been replaced by the hired killer
The attacker, Mr Legay, fled on the motorbike and appeared to have crossed muddy terrain.
When police found the vehicle which earlier had no number plate affixed during the attack, they found it covered in mud but were able to identify the number plate of the motorcycle which had been affixed back on, to a rental shop on the island.
This led them to identify the hitman who had rented a hotel from May 21st last at ฿1,000 per night and hired the motorbike for ฿400 a day.
Quick response from Phuket police led them to the would-be killer at Phuket International Airport before he made his getaway from the resort island
The man had paid for both as late as Monday, June 5th and was reported to have visited the areas surrounding the tapas bar continuously during this period as the attacker carried out reconnaissance of his target.
The case was initially responded to by Police Lieutenant Colonel Kittipong Nupheng from Cherng Talay Police Station on Wednesday but later given priority by Police Major General Saksira Phuakam and Police Major General Naphanwut Liamsanguan, the deputy commander and commander of Police Region 8.
This led to the arrest of Mr Legay at the airport in Phuket before he was cleared to board his flight while his Russian victim is reported to be in a coma in hospital where his condition is described as critical.
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Further reading:
Russian mafia gang extort young Russian couple out of $50k at a local coffee shop on Ko Samui
Russian man assaulted by protest leader at Pattaya rally leaving his 10-year-old daughter hysterical
Russian faces counterfeit charges after gifting toy money to bar staff while also paying in baht
