Thai serial killer case: Ex-husband arrested in poisoning deaths

Thai police arrested the husband Vithul Rangsiwutthaporn on Wednesday

The ex-husband of a Thai woman charged with murdering 14 people with cyanide has surrendered after police issued an arrest warrant.

Vitoon Rangsiwuthaporn was a senior policeman in Ratchaburi province, where one of the alleged killings took place.

His ex-wife, Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn, was arrested in Bangkok last week in a suspected serial killer case that has gripped the country.

Police have charged her with 14 counts of murder- which she denies.

The first suspected murders began in 2020, but police believe there are more victims and have urged people to come forward.

Thai authorities said Ms Sararat was motivated by money. She secured loans worth thousands of dollars, and also stole her victims' jewellery and other belongings, police said.

On Wednesday, Ms Sararat's former husband Mr Rangsiwuthaporn was charged with fraud and embezzlement related to the killings.

Police said he turned himself into a police station after authorities issued an arrest warrant. The couple, while divorced, had still been living together.

Police say Mr Rangsiwuthaporn was most likely involved in Ms Sararat's alleged murder of an ex-boyfriend, Suthisak Poonkwan.

Police said that after she killed him, Mr Rangsiwuthaporn picked her up in her car and drove her around the local Udon Thani province, where she extorted money from Suthisak's friends.

What are the allegations?

Police said the killings had taken place in several provinces since 2020, mostly west of Bangkok. They believed Ms Sararat murdered her targets by slipping cyanide pills into their food and drink, or offering the pills as herbal medicine.

Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn was arrested last week

Cyanide starves the body's cells of oxygen, which can then induce heart attacks. Early symptoms of poisoning include dizziness, shortness of breath, and vomiting.

Police said she would befriend wealthy people and earn their trust, before inviting them to a meal or on a trip. The known victims were aged 33-45.

"She asked people she knows for money because she has a lot of credit card debt... and if they asked her for their money back she started killing them," said deputy national police chief Surachate Hakparn at a press conference on Wednesday.

One friend, who police believe was targeted, had loaned her 250,000 baht (£5,900; $7,300) police said. The woman had vomited and fainted after having lunch with Sararat but survived.

Ms Sararat was arrested on 25 April, two weeks after a wealthy friend died while on a trip with her.

Siriporn Khanwong had collapsed on a riverbank in Ratchaburi province, after travelling there with Ms Sararat to take part in a Buddhist protection ritual.

Her phone, money and jewellery were missing when she was found and an autopsy found traces of cynanide in her body.

Her mother had raised suspicions with police, after noting that Ms Sararat had only recently befriended her daughter.

Police found a bottle of cyanide in Ms Sararat's home when she was arrested last week.

Local media reported she is four months pregnant and has two children with Mr Rangsiwuthaporn, who has taken leave from the police force.

The pair lived in police flats in Kanchanaburi, a riverside holiday destination west of the country, local media reported. They reported her neighbours saying that she kept mostly to herself and would interact only with families of rich policemen.

Police are also investigating Ms Sararat's sister, who owns a pharmacy.

Police say they are still gathering evidence on more related cases. A trial date has not yet been set.