As Watchara Sakaew, 22, was arrested at a dorm in Muang Chaiyaphum on Thursday and allegedly confessed to helping bury Niran’s body to conceal the crime. His brother Sathit Sakaew, 18, who allegedly stabbed Niran to death, remained at large.

A manhunt was launched on Friday for Sathit, who had reportedly been arrested for a robbery in Buri Ram in 2012 and was still on the run from another robbery/murder case in Bangkok’s Udomsuk area.

Police also applied for court approval for ann arrest warrant for Sathit over three charges of murder to rob other person, assault leading to another’s death and hiding the body to conceal the crime.

Niran’s male companion Preecha Kiewsanthia, 26, who was initially sought as a person of interest, had presented himself to police and was deemed innocent.

Chaiyaphum police chief Pol Maj-General Somphot Khpmprang cited a report by his deputy Pol Colonel Wirat Baokham, who led the investigation, that police got a breakthrough lead after noticing a phone number that had kept calling Niran’s phone that day, identifying the suspects as Watchara and Sathit.

The two brother allegedly lured Niran to meet them at a club on the night of April 8 night and to stay over at their dorm before they fatally attacked him to rob him of cash, cellphone and car.

They allegedly buried him along with other evidence and Sathit then tried to sell the victim’s car.

However, no care centre or individual would buy a vehicle without a licence plate so Sathit took off in the car towards the Phu Lankha mountain range, which covers Chaiyaphum’s three districts of Muang, Kaset Somboon and Kaeng Khro.

After Niran’s family had filed a missing persons report for Niran, his partially burned burned body was found on Wednesday along with assorted documents, two knives and his car’s licence plate in a eucalyptus forest behind Wat Ban Soktalap in Tambon Khok Sung.

Niran’s mother Bualee Soisungnoen and relatives had on Thursday brought monks to perform a ritual to bring Niran’s spirit home at the spot where his body was discovered.

She said that she had two children and Niran, the younger one, was the family’s high hope because he had received higher-level education.

Niran had just graduated from North Bangkok University’s Faculty of Information Technology and obtained a passport to go and work abroad.