Thai Police have arrested two Russian men in connection with the killing and dismemberment of a fellow Russian national whose body parts were later buried in Bang Lamung district, Chon Buri, authorities said on Sunday.
The suspects, aged 35 and 38, were taken into custody at a hotel room on Sukhumvit 71 Road in Bangkok’s Watthana district. Police said the pair are accused of murdering their compatriot and disposing of the body in multiple locations.
Investigators identified the victim as Mikhail Emelianov, 30, who had been operating a cannabis business in the Jomtien area for the past two years. He was living at a condominium in Pattaya before his disappearance.
According to police, closed-circuit television footage showed the suspects in the company of Emelianov shortly before he went missing.
The footage also captured the men riding a motorcycle that appeared to be carrying a large object concealed under the seat. The camera was located inside a housing estate about one kilometre from where the body parts were later discovered.
The case came to light after a 53-year-old Thai woman reported that her pet dog had brought home what appeared to be a blood-stained human body part.
A subsequent search led police to a deserted pond near her home on Patthanakan 4 Road, where dismembered body parts wrapped in black plastic bags were found buried in five shallow pits, each about 50 centimetres deep. The victim’s head bore severe facial injuries, consistent with blunt-force trauma.
Police also recovered the victim’s clothing and bag buried nearby.
Emelianov’s mother, 51, who travelled from Russia to Chon Buri, told investigators her son had been missing since January 8. She said she had received a message demanding repayment of a US$120,000 debt prior to his disappearance.
After viewing the remains, she confirmed through tears that the body was her son’s.
