A 26-year-old man was fatally struck on the head with a pestle by a barber inside a shop, reportedly after a quarrel over a 20,000 baht loan. Friends, suspicious of the incident, stormed and surrounded the shop demanding justice, believing the victim was lured and murdered in a staged setup.
At 17:30 on 17 Apr 2026 GMT+7, Police Lieutenant Colonel Tharutmon Lertawas, investigating officer of Pak Kret Police Station in Nonthaburi Province, received a report of a fatal fight inside a unisex barbershop located in Moo 3, near Soi Amphonpaisan 18 on Tiwanon Road, Bang Phut Subdistrict.
Authorities promptly arrived to investigate, accompanied by Police Colonel Adirek Thongkaemkaew, Chief of Pak Kret Police Station; Police Lieutenant Colonel Kongphisit Pruksachiva, Deputy Chief of Crime Suppression; Police Lieutenant Colonel Karun Limpironarit, Deputy Chief of Investigation; Police Lieutenant Colonel Banjop Ratchakit, Patrol Supervisor; forensic medical team; investigative unit; and rescue personnel from Poh Teck Tung Foundation.
At the scene, the body of Mr. Thiti Kobsapcharoen, 26, was found face down in a pool of blood, clutching a sharp knife in his right hand. The suspect, Mr. Jeerawat Rattanawimantip, 59, the shop owner, was detained at the scene by police.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the victim, a regular customer, had entered the shop and then engaged in an argument with the suspect, who subsequentlygrabbed a pestleand struck the victim’sheadmultiple times, causing him to collapse and die instantly. Police are continuing a detailed investigation into the circumstances.
Later reports indicated that from the evening onward,chaos eruptedin front of the barbershop when friends of the deceased gathered to surround the scene, suspicious of the cause of death. The shop owner claimed the victim had come toborrow 20,000 bahtbut was refused, leading to an argument and physical fight. Friends were dissatisfied and believed their friend was lured to be attacked, as the victim had said he was coming to retrieve his phone from the shop and had no knife, so they stood demanding justice. Because of this,officialsand rescue workers were unable to remove the body.
At 20:30, Police Colonel Adirek Thongkaemkaew, Chief of Pak Kret Police Station, along with Police Lieutenant Colonel Kongphisit Pruksachiva, Deputy Chief of Crime Suppression, arrived at the scene to ease tensions. Authorities engaged in dialogue with the victim’s friends and witnesses, explaining legal procedures and assuring a fair and transparent investigation, which eventually allowed the body to be removed.
Officials also updated that the case remains under medical examination, with an autopsy underway. They urged the public to trust the police investigation and requested those gathered at the scene to disperse gradually to prevent escalation.
Subsequently, the victim’s mother arrived at the scene, visibly grieving, and. . .briefly told reporters she wished to seeher son’s facebefore entering the area where the incident occurred.