The body parts of Warisara Klinjui, 22, were found in two buckets buried in a forest area in Khon Kaen province on May 25.

Police believe the killers had cut the victim’s body at the waist to fit it into the buckets. Prapasiri Somsri, the sister of Priyanuch Nonwangchai who is wanted on charges of murder and hiding a body, told police in Khon Kaen province yesterday that Priyanuch had telephoned her on Monday and had asked for more time to surrender.

During the call, Priyanuch claimed that the victim had betrayed her about drugs so she and three other suspects had lured the victim to meet them. Prapasiri quoted her sister as saying that initially she intended to only beat up the victim to teach her a lesson but the victim fought back and threatened that one of them had to die. So she strangled the victim and accidentally caused her death.

According to Priyanuch, three others suspects; Wasin Namprom, 22, Kawita Rachada, 26, and Jidarat, 21, whose surname was not known, were also present at the scene of the crime. Arrest warrants have also been issued for them. Wasin was arrested yesterday in Laos while Kawita and Jidarat remain at large.

The sister, accompanied by her parents, spoke to the media after a meeting with police in Khon Kaen. She admitted that Priyanuch had a long history of drug use.

The suspect’s parents told reporters that Priyanuch was the youngest of five children.

They said they never thought that their daughter would be so cruel.

Meanwhile, Thai and Lao police detained Wasin, 22, at a guesthouse in Vientiane near Lao National University, about 20 kilometres from the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge that links Nong Khai province with the Lao capital. A police source quoted Wasin as saying that Priyanuch suspected Warisara had become an informant who had tipped police off to arrest her on a drug-related charge.

Therefore, she allegedly kidnapped the victim and took her away in a rented Honda CRV vehicle driven by Wasin.

Police quoted Warin as saying that along the way, Priyanuch had allegedly put a plastic bag on Warisara’s head and assaulted her. According to Wasin, the victim challenged Priyanuch, saying if she survived she would return to take revenge. An angry Priyanuch allegedly assaulted her until she died in the car, police quoted Warin as revealing. On Priyanuch’s orders, Warin allegedly drove the car to a field in Khao Suan Kwang to dump the body. They bought a saw at a construction shop and Priyanuch allegedly sawed the body.

Wasin claimed that he was just a driver and was not involved with the killing and sawing.

Forensic officials meanwhile collected evidence from the CRV that was suspected to be the vehicle used in the murder.

A provincial police chief, Pol Colonel Pongrit Kongsirisombat, said police had seized the vehicle allegedly used in the crime after examining security camera footage.

Police then traced the vehicle to a car rental company and found that one of the female suspects, who was a frequent customer, had rented the car on May 23 and returned it on the same day.

They found fingerprints, a lot of cement, blood stains on the mats and on the spare wheel at the back of the car. When they lifted the floor mats, they found two T-shirts.