A woman, who narrowly survived being poisoned, told police investigators that she could hardly breathe and her hands became stiff shortly after she swallowed a capsule of medicine offered to her to cure her COVID-19 infection by a suspect, named “Srarat”, who is currently being held on remand.
The woman, identified only as “Pla” by the police, is their only first-hand witness, after she survived what was believed to be an alleged attempt on her life by Srarat.
According to Pol General Surachate Hakparn, Pla knew Srarat because their husbands were classmates at the Royal Police Cadet Academy and Srarat owed Pla 250,000 baht.
Last September, Pla contracted COVID-19 and Srarat visited the former’s house and offered her a capsule of traditional medicine, which she claimed to have obtained from her pharmacist older sister.
Pla took the medicine and left her house by car for a nearby shopping mall, for a lunch appointment with Srarat. While driving, she told the police that she could hardly breathe and her hands stiffened, adding that she called Srarat to come and help her drive her car, but the latter claimed she lost her way.
The victim then called the 1669 emergency hotline and EMTs arrived to help her out of the car. She then collapsed and lost consciousness, prompting the medics to administer CPR and rush her to the nearest hospital.
Medics later told her that her heart had stopped beating.
After recuperating, she told the police that she did not take a blood test because she didn’t believe that her sudden collapse was caused by foul play.
When she learned from news reports that several people, who had been close to Srarat, had died mysteriously, she became suspicious that she might have become a victim of Srarat and decided to tell her story to the police.
Pol Gen Surachate said that police will question Srarat’s pharmacist sister, to find out whether the suspect had obtained cyanide from her.
He also disclosed that the autopsy on one of the dead victims, a police officer, showed traces of cyanide in the blood.
Pol Col Anek Taosupharb, deputy commander of the Crime Suppression Division, said today (Wednesday) that police have questioned five youths, who were allegedly hired by Srarat to dispose of the cyanide containers.
The youths reportedly told police that, since the bottles were contained in a bag, they didn’t know what they contained.
The officer said that, even though the suspect has categorically denied charges that she poisoned her victims with cyanide, the police have circumstantial evidence which is substantive and can be used against her in the court.
Srarat is suspected of involvement in the deaths of at least eight people, allegedly through the use of cyanide.
Pol Col Anek said he believes that monetary gain is behind Srarat’s alleged actions.
Police found several bottles today, amidst burned garbage in the backyard of Srarat’s former husband’s house, according to a deputy superintendent at Ban Pong police station in Ratchaburi province.
They have been sent for tests to determine whether they contained cyanide.
