Police yesterday arrested a 64 year old Thai man in Phuket for abducting a 12 year old girl, missing from her home in Phang Nga province for 16 days.
The family of the 12 year old Poonyanut “Sompoy” Kayankhai turned to social media platforms to search for her after she disappeared from her home in Phang Nga on October 5. The girl lived with her aunt, while her mother resided separately in northern Thailand.
Sompoy went missing after being left home alone from 7.30pm onwards, as her aunt went to work and her cousin attended a vegetarian festival. The family searched for her for 16 days and finally located her yesterday, October 21, in the Kamala sub-district of Kathu district, Phuket.
Takuapa Police Station officers found Sompoy staying with 64 year old Karim, at some welfare accommodation on a construction site in the province. Thai news agencies reported that Karim did not allow Sompoy to use her phone or contact anyone while she was with him.
During questioning, Karim claimed that he contacted Sompoy via the Facebook app. According to him, Sompoy told him she had issues with her family and no longer wanted to stay at home, so he drove to pick her up on October 5.
More victims surface
Karim insisted that he did not harm the girl and only intended to help her. However, officers were sceptical of his account and sent Sompoy to a hospital for a medical examination to check for any signs of physical or sexual assault.
Officers searched Karim’s phone and found that he used a Japanese anime character as his Facebook profile picture, which may have attracted young users like Sompoy. He sent messages to many young girls, although only a few responded to him.
Police also found explicit pictures and videos of young children on Karim’s phone, although none of Sompoy. Officers launched a further investigation into other potential victims found on his phone.
According to the police, a teenage girl called Karim during the investigation of his phone. The girl expressed concern for him when informed that he was under arrest.
Karim was initially charged with abducting a minor under the age of 15 from her parents or guardians. The penalty for this offence is imprisonment for two to 10 years and a fine ranging from 40,000 to 200,000 baht, under Section 319 of the Criminal Law.
ORIGINAL STORY: Search continues for 12 year old Thai girl missing for 12 days
A Thai mother and aunt in the southern province of Phang Nga are searching for her 12 year old girl, who has been missing for 12 days since October 5, when the family left the girl alone at home to attend a vegetarian festival.
Wandee Hanhuan, the aunt of the 12 year old missing girl, Poonyanut “Sompoy” Kayankhai, took to social media to share a missing poster of the girl and urged netizens to share any useful information about her. The missing poster stated…
“Poonyanut Kayankhai (Sompoy), 12 years old, went missing from our home in Soi Tarn Thong Nue, in the Bang Muang sub-district, Takuapa district, Phang Nga province. She disappeared at about 3.30pm on October 5. She was wearing pink Kitty-pattern pyjamas. Please contact us via 099-243-1662 or 061-264-3657, or contact Ban Yan Yao Municipal School.”
Sompoy’s mother, Somwipha Chaimongkhon, told Matichon that she only found out about her daughter’s disappearance after seeing the missing poster on Wandee’s Facebook account. Somwipha said she lived apart from her daughter since divorcing her husband.
Somwipha said she rushed to Phang Nga from her home in the northern province of Phayao to search for her daughter. The mother described Sompoy as a good and very tidy girl.
Sompoy’s aunt, Wandee, revealed to the media that her daughter, Nattinan Hanhuan, was the last person to see Sompoy before she went missing. According to Nattinan, Sompoy was at home until 7pm. Nattinan then left the house at about 7.30pm to attend a vegetarian festival, leaving Sompoy at home alone.
Wandee explained that she arrived home from work at about 10.50pm and did not see Sompoy. She immediately reported the matter to the community leader that night. Residents in the area helped search for Sompoy but found no trace of her.
Wandee said she reported the matter to the Takuapa Police Station and posted about Sompoy on social media every day, hoping to find her safe, but there is no news. Wandee left a message for Sompoy saying…
“If you are watching or reading this news, come back home. Return to our home. There is nowhere like home.”
ThaiRath reported that Sompoy sent a message to Nattinan at about 10pm saying, “Aunt hasn’t arrived home yet,” and did not respond to further messages from Nattinan.
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