Photo Courtesy of Thairath
UDON THANI – Relatives reveal that the culprit had previously shown signs of hallucination. Often mistaking his own father, he would physically injure him, thinking he was as a robber who had entered his home. Police are still verifying whether the culprit has any mental illnesses.
On July 26th, Kongphakit Phuthichokthanat, a police captain stationed at Udon Thani station, received an emergency report from an old man who had been severely injured by his son at 35/1 Soi Bunmacharoen Kongudom housing complex, Mueng district, Udon Thani.
Mr. Sommai Janthakat, 65 yrs old, was found lying outside his bedroom, barely breathing. His hands and feet had been tied with holy threads. The officer quickly removed the threads and sent him on an ambulance to Udon Thani hospital where doctors were unable to save his life . The old man sustained three broken ribs and a collapsed lung.
The culprit is the son of the victim, Mr. Kittiporn Janthakat, 35 yrs old, who was caught by relatives and villagers and taken into custody by police.
Further enquiry has revealed that the culprit was a Tuk-Tuk driver.
After returning home from a late shift, Kittiporn found that the desk fan in his room was missing; he skipped his next shift and stayed at home in an attempt to track down the thief who he assumed, had stolen it.
Later that afternoon, the victim walked into the house and the culprit asked who he had come to see. The victim insisted that he was his father, but the culprit didn’t believe him. He pushed the victim onto the floor, stomping him to near death.
The culprit then used holy threads, as seen in the picture, to tie up his father. In a bizarre twist, he began to hum a holy mantra in an attempt to perform an exorcism on the victim. He was later stopped by a group of villagers who happened to pass by the house.
According to villagers and relatives, Kittiporn often misperceived his father as a robber and had a history of injuring him – the villagers didn’t admit the victim to hospital because they didn’t think it was going to be so severe. Kittiporn is now being tested for mental illnesses and has confessed to the murder of his father.
Courtesy of Thairath
Note: Holy threads are sometimes used in Shamanistic rituals to perform exorcisms.
Writer: Adrian Tse & Chet Chetchotisak