A German businessman was been found dismembered and stuffed inside a freezer in Thailand ‘after he was tortured and chopped into pieces with a chainsaw.
The corpse of Hans Peter Walter Mack, 62, was found by police on Monday evening, July 10, after a search at Pattaya city’s largest housing project.
Officers said the real estate broker’s head, torso, and limbs had been severed and left in plastic bags in the chest freezer.
Also at the scene were a chainsaw, ropes, a vacuum sealer, water, and bottles.
Mack went missing following a meeting with a German realtor to discuss the sale of a pool villa and a boxing stadium on July 4.
Police Major General Theerachai Chamnanmor, commander of the Investigation Division Provincial Police Region 2, said: ‘We are requesting arrest warrants for the suspects for prosecution.’
The corpse was taken to the Institute of Forensic Medicine, Police General Hospital for a post-mortem, while the freezer was kept at the Nong Prue Police Station.
The discovery comes following a tip from a Thai couple, who claimed they had been hired to transport the freezer to the pool villa house.
Detectives reviewed CCTV footage and identified a pick-up truck driven by a foreigner transporting the appliance secured with plastic sheets and black tape.
It had driven some 90 miles across Chonburi province before dropping off the freezer at the home where it was found.
Investigators believe there was extortion involved, as Hans was found to have wired two million THB (£44,567) from his bank account before his death.
Deputy National Police Chief Police General Surachate Hakparn said: ‘The case concerns assets. The offender seemed to know that Mr Mack had assets. Detectives must find out if the perpetrator knew Mr Mack personally.’
Hans had been living with his Thai wife Piraya Boonmak, 24, for five years in Pattaya. He had two sons from his previous wife.
His Thai wife, Piraya Boonmak, 24
He was reported missing on July 5 when he failed to come home. The family offered a reward of 3 million Baht (£66,856) for information leading to his return.
His wife said she received a text before his disappearance – suspicious, as they had not texted in five years together.
Mack’s Mercedes-Benz E350 was found several days later in an upscale settlement popular with foreigners.
The car’s interior had been wiped with cleaning solvent ‘to destroy evidence’.
IPolice say they are looking into several suspects.