Thai police hunt for SA man's killers

2012-10-03 07:40

(File) (Shutterstock)

Durban - Thai police are searching for the killers of a South African man whose body was dumped next to a grave they believe was intended for him, Thai media reported on Tuesday.

According to the Thai-language Daily News, police had seized a vehicle, which they believed was connected to the murder of Oswald Heinrich Duvel.

Thai media reported that Duvel's body was discovered in the foothills of Saraburi province, north of Bangkok, on Sunday morning.

The Thai Rath newspaper website reported that Duvel, who was shot three times, was found wearing only his watch and a pair of blue underpants.

Both newspapers reported that a partially dug grave was found near the body.

The Pattya Daily News reported that police believed those who dug the grave fled because they might have been spooked by a passerby.

The Thai Rath newspaper reported that police believed he was killed about 10 hours before his body was discovered.

Comment could not immediately be obtained from the department of international relations and co-operation.

The website of the Manager Media group published a photograph of Duvel and a copy of his South African passport.

Several reports indicated that Duvel went missing after leaving his home in Bangkok to visit his 3-year-old son at the home of his ex-wife.

- SAPA