Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya – The body of a taxi driver was found beaten to death and left in a paddy field about 1 kilometer from Highway 9, the Bang Pa-in–Bang Bua Thong route. Police suspect he was lured there and killed during a robbery.
At 17:30 on 5 May 2026, Police Lieutenant Colonel Theerawat Saradee, deputy investigation officer of Chang Yai Police Station, Bang Sai District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province, received a report of a male body found injured and deceased in a forested paddy field about 1 kilometer from Highway 9, Bang Pa-in–Bang Bua Thong route. He immediately went to the scene with investigators, patrol officers, doctors from Bang Sai Hospital, and coordinated with the Ayutthaya Ruamjai Association for support.
At the scene, a green-yellow Toyota taxi with license plate 5กจ-7304 Bangkok was found parked with both front doors wide open. Bloodstains were visible on the seats and doors on both the driver’s and passenger’s sides. Inside, signs of a struggle were evident.
On the driver’s side, one slipper was found near the accelerator pedal while the other was on the ground close to the vehicle. A lighter and a cap belonging to the deceased were also found nearby.
About 5 meters from the car, the body of a man wearing a blue shirt and sweatpants lay face down in a pool of blood. He had a severe wound on his forehead approximately 5 centimeters wide. He was later identified as Mr. Prayad Buthong, 65, from Bang Khayaeng Subdistrict, Mueang District, Pathum Thani Province. A bottle of beer was also found at the scene.
Initial investigation revealed that the person who found the body was a local villager fishing in the area, which is a deserted, formerly used liquor waste pond that is no longer in operation and far from any community.
Further examination showed that the vehicle was no longer registered as a public transport taxi, but still bore the paint and signage indicating it was vacant like a taxi. It is suspected that the driver was lured from elsewhere, then attacked and robbed at this location.
Police are currently gathering evidence and intensively pursuing the suspect to bring them to justice.