Thailand arrests Australian after teen’s body found in suitcase

BANGKOK: Thai police have arrested an Australian man after the body of a 17-year-old girl was discovered in a suitcase, authorities said Saturday.

The suspect, who denies involvement in the teenager’s alleged abduction and murder, was taken into custody after an interrogation, a police official in the resort city of Pattaya told AFP.

Investigators were awaiting the results of a post-mortem examination and “other evidence” in the case before filing charges, the official said.

The charges could include child abduction, murder, hiding a corpse and “abduction of a minor for sexual purposes”, added the official, who was speaking on condition of anonymity.

Media reports said the 46-year-old suspect was apprehended on Friday at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, where he was trying to purchase an airline ticket to Perth in Australia.

CCTV footage showed the suspect entering a condo in the seaside resort of Pattaya in the early hours of Thursday along with the 17-year-old Thai girl, according to the reports.

He emerged from the building several hours later, the reports said, carrying a large black suitcase which he then transported on the back of a motorbike.

Police found the suitcase on Friday near a railway track, discovering the victim’s body inside of it bearing signs of violence, local website Pattaya News reported.

Thailand drastically cut the length of visa-free stays for tourists last month following a series of high-profile arrests of foreigners over drug offences, sex trafficking and operating unlicensed businesses.