Big Dong, Commander of Provincial Police Region 2, led the team to apprehend “Pong-Thong” who fled across provinces and confessed to killing two Russian siblings with the intent to rob them.
Update on the manhunt for Thana, or “Pong,” 43, and Thongchai, or “Thong,” Srinil, 39, suspects in a nighttime joint theft case using a vehicle or receiving stolen goods, linked to the disappearance of Diana, 22, and Roman, 17, two Russian siblings.
Subsequently, investigators from Huai Yai Police Station gathered evidence and obtained arrest warrants from Pattaya Provincial Court for Thana (“Pong”), 43, and Thongchai (“Thong”), 39, close friends who jointly buried the motorcycle of the two Russian siblings in the old Thung Luang cemetery, Village No. 9, Huai Yai Subdistrict, as previously reported.
At 16:00 on 31 July 2026, Pol. Lt. Gen. Chatchai Surachetphong, Commander of Provincial Police Region 2, Pol. Maj. Gen. Kiattisak Sarathongoi, Commander of the Region 2 Investigation Division, and Pol. Col. Jaturapat Singhahasit, Deputy Commander of Sa Kaeo Police, led over 50 officers to arrest Thana (“Pong”), 43, and Thongchai (“Thong”), 39, suspects in nighttime joint theft by vehicle or receiving stolen goods, both connected to the disappearance of the two Russian siblings for five days. After the crime, both fled to Sa Kaeo Province, over 191 km from the crime scene in Chonburi.
Initially, both were arrested near a forest by the Chanthaburi-Sa Kaeo road, Wang Mai Subdistrict, Wang Sombun District, Sa Kaeo Province. Thongchai (“Thong”), 39, was caught first, while Thana (“Pong”), 43, fled into the forest. Police pursued closely and surrounded him tightly.
Eventually, Thana (“Pong”) was captured along with a seized pistol and one grenade. He was then taken to Wang Sombun Police Station for further interrogation.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Chatchai Surachetphong personally questioned the suspects. Initially, both “Pong” and “Thong” confessed to killing the two Russian siblings, whom they did not know, intending to steal the motorcycle. They claimed the victims resisted, leading to the fatal act, and then they buried the bodies.
Currently, police are escorting both suspects back to Chonburi Province to conduct a crime reconstruction and to show the burial site of the Russian siblings. Further updates will be provided as the investigation progresses.