23-5-2024 (BANGKOK) In a shocking incident that has left authorities puzzled, the body of an unidentified man was discovered inside an electrical utility box on a footpath in Min Buri district of Bangkok on Thursday morning.
The grim discovery was made around 7:20 a.m., when the Min Buri police station received a report about the presence of a body in front of OneHome, a construction materials shop near the Rom Klao intersection. Pol Lt Anukul Chanchek, the deputy investigation chief of the station, promptly dispatched a team to the scene.
Upon arrival, police officers, forensic experts, a medical professional, and rescue workers found an aged utility box, measuring 45 centimetres wide and 100 centimetres high, with its cover ajar. At the base of the box, a hole approximately 40 centimetres wide and one metre deep revealed a gruesome sight – a corpse lying on its back, with the right hand gripping an electrical wire.
To ensure the safe retrieval of the body, the Metropolitan Electricity Authority was summoned to cut off the power supply to the utility box. Rescue workers then employed specialised tools to remove the box and the surrounding cement before extracting the remains.
The deceased, clad in a black T-shirt and blue shorts, is believed to have perished two or three days prior to the discovery. Among the few personal belongings found on him were a small tobacco pack, a lighter, and a 20-baht banknote.
Panadda Ngokngam, a 44-year-old street cleaner employed by the Min Buri district office, recounted her unsettling experience. While sweeping leaves at the Rom Klao intersection around 6:40 a.m. on Thursday, she detected a foul odour emanating from the utility box. Upon closer inspection, she noticed the body and promptly alerted nearby traffic police stationed at a booth in the vicinity.
Pol Col Krit Komnoi, the chief of the Min Buri police station, acknowledged that the circumstances surrounding the man’s death remain unclear at this stage. Authorities suspect that the individual may have entered the utility box and found himself unable to climb out, or he might have succumbed to an electric shock.
In an effort to unravel the mystery, police are examining security camera footage from the area, hoping to shed light on the events leading up to the tragic incident. Additionally, the body has been transported for an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.