A rubber plantation owner’s son in Thailand has been arrested after allegedly shooting a woman dead during a confrontation over repeated latex thefts at the family’s plantation.
The incident reportedly took place in Udon Thani province, where the 38-year-old man claimed he had been guarding the plantation after suffering ongoing financial losses due to stolen rubber latex.
According to local police, the victim was a 20-year-old woman identified as Sitthisa. Her body was discovered inside the rubber plantation with a gunshot wound to the forehead above her left eyebrow.
Initial investigations revealed that the suspect, identified as Wisan, is the son of the plantation owner and had been tasked with overseeing the 1.6-acre estate.
Rubber Plantation Owner Claims Family Was Struggling Financially
Wisan told investigators that he had been resting inside a hut on Saturday night when he heard noises coming from outside.
When he went to investigate, he allegedly saw the woman carrying a wooden stick and believed she was attempting to steal rubber latex from the plantation again.
He claimed the plantation was the family’s primary source of income, adding that the earnings were used to support his parents’ medical expenses as well as the education of his four children.
According to his statement, repeated thefts over the past few months had caused severe financial stress and drastically reduced the family’s earnings from the plantation business.
The suspect admitted he became enraged after allegedly catching the woman inside the estate again and eventually lost control during the confrontation.
Police said the woman died from a gunshot wound to the head at the scene.
Suspect Waited For Police After Fatal Shooting
The man further claimed he did not flee after the shooting and instead returned to the plantation hut to wait for authorities to arrive.
However, Thai police said they are not fully accepting his version of events and are continuing investigations into the case.
Investigators are currently collecting forensic evidence, interviewing witnesses and reconstructing the sequence of events to determine exactly what happened before the fatal shooting.
The case has sparked debate online in Thailand, with some questioning whether the suspect acted out of desperation after repeated thefts, while others argued that no property crime justified the use of deadly force.
Authorities have yet to confirm what charges the suspect may face as investigations remain ongoing.