A man has been arrested for killing two homeless men in Chiang Mai in one night. He claimed the killings resulted from disputes fueled by anger—one victim refused to return a phone, the other was asked for money. The suspect has a violent background and previously killed another person in Chiang Rai before fleeing.
On 1 May 2026, following three abnormal deaths of homeless individuals in Chiang Mai within two weeks, authorities initially suspected a series of murders by a single perpetrator.
Recently, police at Chang Phueak Station in Chiang Mai arrested the murderer of 51-year-old Boonruang Muensri, a homeless man from Mae Sariang, Mae Hong Son Province. His body was found burned under the Rattanakosin Bridge in Chang Moi Subdistrict, Chiang Mai City, on 29 April. He had been stabbed in the neck with a sharp object before being set on fire to conceal the crime. The case was linked to another homeless man found dead with blood coming from his mouth under the Khua Sri Wiang Pink Bridge over the Ping River in Fa Ham Subdistrict, Chiang Mai City, believed to have died the same day.
At 11:00 a.m., Lieutenant General Kritthaphon Yisakorn, Commander of Provincial Police Region 5, along with Police Major General Yutthana Kaenchan, Commander of Chiang Mai Provincial Police, Police Colonel Sawek Chusiri, Superintendent of Chang Phueak Police Station, and Police Colonel Yanapon Phattanachai, Superintendent of Mae Ping Police Station, interrogated 31-year-old Panah Puli from Chiang Rai, the suspect in both murders of homeless men—one found burned, the other bleeding from the mouth.
Lieutenant General Kritthaphon Yisakorn stated that these two cases were brazen crimes. After receiving reports of two homeless deaths, he ordered a police investigation team to intensify efforts, resulting in the arrest of 31-year-old Panah Puli from Chiang Rai, who is also homeless.
During interrogation, Panah confessed to killing both homeless men. The first victim, Boonruang Muensri, 51, was confronted by Panah who demanded his phone back. When Boonruang refused, they fought. Seeing Boonruang’s cutter knife, Panah stabbed him in the neck, then covered him with a blanket and set fire to the mattress to burn the body for about 20 minutes. Afterwards, Panah went to Khua Sri Wiang Pink Bridge in Fa Ham to find a place to sleep.
There, Panah encountered 46-year-old Joe Saengsen from Mae Hong Son, the second victim, who was a local sleeping there. Panah claimed Joe smelled bad and tried to ask him for money. In a fit of rage, Panah kicked his throat and stomped on him repeatedly for about 10 minutes until he was motionless. Panah then fled, hitchhiking to Doi Suthep, later spending the evening at a bus stop in Doi Saket District before hitching a ride back into town where he was arrested near the Chang Phueak Gate.
Panah also admitted that before these murders in Chiang Mai, he had killed a homeless man in Chiang Rai on 7 January 2026 by hitting and stabbing him with a stone and knife. After that, he fled to Lampang Province, then came to Chiang Mai seeking work before committing these latest murders.
Police have charged Panah with premeditated murder and destroying a corpse or parts thereof to conceal the cause of death. Investigations will expand to other areas where Panah had lived to determine if similar crimes occurred.
Panah, the suspect, had a criminal record including drug use and theft, and was released from prison on 27 March 2025.