Police raided and arrested two Russian men suspected of murdering and dismembering a compatriot. CCTV footage showed the moment they rode a motorcycle away from their residence, with the seat appearing not fully closed. The victim's mother revealed she received his final message before he went missing.
Reporters said that after officials discovered the body of 30-year-old Russian national Mikhail Emelianov, who was brutally murdered and dismembered, with his remains buried in seven separate locations near a pond inside Soi Phatthanakan 4, Village 10, Nong Prue Subdistrict, Bang Lamung District, Chonburi Province. He had disappeared mysteriously after sending his mother a final message saying he was threatened by fellow Russians demanding repayment of a debt exceeding $120,000, approximately 3.7 million baht.
Later, Nong Prue Police raided a hotel in Soi Sukhumvit 71, Bangkok, and arrested Yaroslav Temidov and Dmitry Masdalev, both Russian nationals, as suspects in the murder and dismemberment of fellow Russian Mikhail Emelianov.
Police tracked down key evidence tying the two suspects to the crime, including CCTV footage from a village in Soi Phatthanakan 4, Nong Prue Subdistrict, Bang Lamung District, Chonburi, recorded at 15:18 on 9 January. The footage showed the two riding a motorcycle with the seat not fully closed, suspected of hiding dismembered body parts beneath the seat to later bury in a dense forest area covering over 10 rai.
However, when authorities dug up the burial sites to retrieve the body parts, they found that everything from the chest to the waist was missing and has not yet been located.
The victim's mother shared through an interpreter that her son had been doing business in Pattaya for two years before disappearing. He told her he was going to resolve business issues with two Russian friends. Along the way, he secretly sent his location to his mother continuously until his last message, which said, "I feel unsafe. If I lose contact for more than two hours, it means I am in danger. Please notify the police immediately." The signal then disappeared from that day onward.
Investigations suggest the motive was likely debt-related, possibly involving drug debts, as the victim's mother received extortion threats in Russian claiming her son had stolen cocaine worth over 4 million baht. The messages threatened that if the money was not repaid, they would kill him and sell his organs.
Police Colonel Natthaphon Phongsuksakul, Superintendent of Nong Prue Police Station, stated that after detaining the two suspects for questioning, they remained largely silent but admitted knowing each other and having financial disputes. Additional interrogations are planned today, while the Commander of Provincial Police Region 2 will hold a press conference on the case progress at 14:00.
Initially, Yaroslav Temidov and Dmitry Masdalev have been charged with intentional murder, concealment of a corpse, and unlawful detention for ransom. They are currently held for further investigation to locate the missing torso parts.