7-8-2024 (BANGKOK) The perplexing case of Takahiro Nishi, a Japanese businessman who vanished in Thailand, has taken a dramatic turn with the revelation of his death in Chiang Mai last year. Deputy Bangkok Police Chief, Police Major General Nopasilp Poolsawat, confirmed the development on Tuesday, shedding light on a complex tale of embezzlement, bail-jumping, and posthumous financial activities.
Nishi, 39, who had been charged with embezzlement in Bangkok before absconding in 2020, was found to have died from a lung infection in June 2022. A Thai woman reported his death to the San Sai police station in Chiang Mai on 8 June last year, with authorities finding no evidence of foul play at the scene.
The case resurfaced when Nishi’s mother, 66-year-old Yoshimi Nishi, filed a missing person report with Khlong Tan police in Bangkok on Monday. She claimed to have last communicated with her son via email on 21 June 2022, when he requested an additional 300,000 yen for medical treatment.
However, the timeline of events has raised numerous questions. Investigators are puzzled by the use of Nishi’s email account shortly after his reported death, as well as recent activity on one of his credit cards. Police Major General Nopasilp revealed that Nishi’s credit card was used for food purchases and a hotel reservation as recently as 4-6 July this year, more than a year after his supposed demise.
The case’s complexity is further compounded by Nishi’s chequered history in Thailand. Police Colonel Wachiraporn Wongboon, chief of Khlong Tan police station, disclosed that Nishi and an associate had been accused of embezzling funds from a Bangkok-based exercise equipment distribution company. Both had jumped bail, with Nishi last extending his visa in Nakhon Sawan province on 5 March 2021.
Tracing Nishi’s movements, authorities established that he entered Thailand through Nong Khai province on 6 March 2020. He and his accomplice were arrested on 10 November 2020 on embezzlement charges but were subsequently released on bail, with the Thai wife of Nishi’s friend acting as guarantor.
Following his release, Nishi rented a property in Nakhon Sawan from 5 March 2021 to 5 March 2022. His final visa extension was recorded on 6 March 2022. By 8 September 2022, a new arrest warrant was issued for Nishi for bail-jumping, but his whereabouts after this point remain unclear.
