A POLICEMAN in Kalasin province who was saddled with heavy debts tried to shoot his wife twice before shooting himself to death at 3 a.m. this morning (Oct. 31), Siam Rath newspaper said.
Just after Pol. Sgt. Maj. Mahitidet Klangpraphan, 50, who was attached to Kalasin Police Department, committed suicide, Pol. Lt. Col. Suksawad Kotkham, an inspector at Kuchinarai police station, was informed of what had happened and went to his two-storey house together with rescuers from Chao Pu Buakhao Foundation and a doctor from Kuchinarai Crown Prince Hospital.
At the scene they found the body of the policeman lying in a pool of blood on the ground floor of his house with a gunshot wound on his right temple and a 9mm pistol beside him.
The deceased policeman’s wife, Mrs. Arun Imboonsuk, 42, said last evening her husband first drank a bottle of beer then a bottle of lao khao (rice whiskey). He then started hallucinating and said he was actually a 2,000-year-old spirit.
At 8 p.m. while the two of them plus their son were having dinner Pol. Sgt. Maj Mahitidet tried to shoot Arun but she managed to talk him out of it by reminding him that she was his wife. A little later he tried to do the same thing again but she succeeded in persuading him to put his pistol away.
At 2 a.m. they dispersed and went to sleep but at 3 a.m. she heard a gunshot and ran down and saw that her husband was dead.
Arun said her husband was stressed out over heavy debts he had to clear but she did not know what the total amount was because he did not like her to interfere or question him about his personal matters.
She added that she was not suspicious about his death because he was stressed out and hot-tempered.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Worawat Mali, acting head of Kalasin provincial police, said from questioning the relatives it appeared that Pol. Sgt. Maj Mahitidet commit suicide over debts he was carrying as he was hardworking and diligent thus well-liked by his colleagues and supervisors.
However his body had been sent for an autopsy to get a detailed report on his death before handing over to relatives for funeral service.
CAPTION:
Police have cordoned off Pol. Sgt. Maj Mahitidet’s house as they question his relatives and gather evidence over his death. Photo: Siam Rath
2 Replies to “Policeman commits suicide over debt problems”