Narong Inthong, 40, was arrested at Romklao Housing Estate in Bangkok’s Lat Krabang district on Friday afternoon and charged with attempted murder.

He told police that he attacked Sunantha Pirom, 38, out of anger as she told him that she was going out with another man. Narong and Sunantha had been married for 20 years and have three children.

He claimed that they had recently been apart because he worked in Surat Thani and Sunantha worked in Nakhon Si Thammarat, although they would meet once a month for three days.

She claimed that her ex-husband attacked her without provocation after they had spent the night together.

Police say Narong became angry when his wife told him she had feelings for another man and he stabbed her. He said he put her in the trunk of a car and drove to Soi Na Dan behind Wat Mai Pattanaram, where he left the car because he was afraid of being arrested. He also admitted taking her valuables including a ring, necklace, wristwatch and Bt30,000 cash.

Sunantha, who pretended to be dead after the stabbing, waited until Narong went away and screamed for help until local people heard and pried open to trunk to save her. Images of her rescue went viral on Thai social media.