Cyanide found next to 6 dead bodies in a Bangkok hotel
Bangkok (EFE). – Thai police confirmed this Wednesday that they had found traces of cyanide in the glasses and eyeglasses of the six victims found dead a day earlier in a luxury hotel in Bangkok and that they suspect a dispute over money as the cause of the alleged crime.
At a press conference, Trarong Piwapan, head of the police forensic division, said he suspected all the victims, four Vietnamese and two Vietnamese-Americans, died of poisoning, although we must wait for the results of the autopsies.
According to preliminary investigation, agents suspect that one of the deceased poisoned the rest with cyanide and then committed suicide by taking poison due to financial problems.
FBI cooperation
Thailand’s Prime Minister Sretha Thavisin announced today that the US FBI will participate in the investigation of the incident as there are two American victims.
In statements to the press, Sritha specified that initial investigations indicated it was a personal matter, not related to a robbery attempt or a terrorist act, and assured that the country was safe for tourism.
The prime minister seeks to ensure the event does not impact tourism at a time when Thailand is trying to stimulate the sector hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the heart of Bangkok
Management of the Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel, located in the capital’s central tourist area, informed police on Tuesday afternoon about the discovery of the bodies of three men and three women who had apparently been poisoned.
Agents believe the victims, whose suitcases were ready to leave the hotel, had died 24 hours earlier.
The food plates in the room were intact and no signs of violence were seen.
A seventh person was travelling with the victims – the younger sister of one of them – but according to investigators, she left Thailand on July 10.
The five-star Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel with over 300 rooms is located on a popular intersection in Bangkok next to the famous Erawan Altar and shopping centers such as Central World.
Such incidents are not common in Thailand, although there have been serious shootings in recent years, including last October by a 14-year-old who killed three people at a Bangkok shopping centre.