11-7-2023 (BANGKOK) One person has surrendered to the police, and warrants have been issued for two others allegedly involved in the gruesome murder of a German property broker, Hans Peter Mack, whose dismembered body was found in a freezer in tambon Nong Prue of Bang Lamung district in Chon Buri. Petra Christl Grundgreif turned herself in to the police for questioning after contacting them via a lawyer to surrender at 3 pm on Tuesday. She was taken from an undisclosed location to the Nong Prue station for questioning.
Earlier, warrants had been issued for Grundgreif, another German national, Olaf Thorsten Brinkmnan, and a Pakistani man holding Thai nationality, Zahrouk Kareem Uddin, 27, who were charged with colluding in theft and murder.
Detectives found the dismembered body of Hans Peter Mack, 62, in a freezer at a house in tambon Nong Prue of Bang Lamung district on Monday night after following up leads based on security camera video. Mack had not been seen by his family since July 4.
German businessman Hans Peter Mack Found dead in a freezer in #Pattaya, hunt for foreign suspects continues. pic.twitter.com/P4ne7uglLU
— The Pattaya News Thailand (@The_PattayaNews) July 11, 2023
Mack’s 24-year-old Thai wife, whose name was not disclosed, had told investigators on July 5 that her husband had left their house in the Swiss Paradise housing estate in Pattaya to meet a foreign property broker. The meeting was to discuss property sales in Pattaya and Koh Samui.
Mack’s silver Mercedes-Benz E350 coupe was found in the parking lot of the CC Condominium on Khao Noi Road in tambon Nong Prue on Sunday morning. Police found stains of a chemical cleanser inside the car, apparently used to destroy evidence.
The police called in Mr Brinkmann’s Thai wife, identified as Jarunee, 37, for questioning. She worked as a waitress at a restaurant about one kilometre away from the crime scene. There were reports that police had earlier called the two German nationals in for questioning, but they denied any knowledge and were later released.
Police allege that Grundgreif and her two accomplices used an electric saw to cut up the body of the victim before putting it into the freezer at a house in the Chokchai Village 1 housing estate. Police seized a red motorcycle to examine fingerprints after it was found that Mr Brinkman had used it.
National police chief, Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, ordered the revocation of the suspects’ visas to prevent them from fleeing the country. Investigators who examined the finances of the victim found that more than 3 million baht had been transferred to various bank accounts.
Police are expected to seek court approval to arrest one more German suspect, while the fourth suspect has not yet been identified. The investigation is ongoing, and more information is expected to emerge in the coming days.
