Police were called to a house in Chalong on Wednesday morning to discover the body of Artur Mkhitarian on the floor beside marjuana plants being grown at the home. He had suffered a fatal stab wound to the neck and had signs of being beaten elsewhere on his body.
Police confirmed that Tajikistan national Bakhtovar Murozoda was renting the house where Mr Mkhitarian’s body was found and that Murozoda boarded a Turkish Airlines flight from Phuket to Istanbul at 9:38pm on Wednesday night.
Subsequent investigation by police, including witness testimony and CCTV footage in the area of the Chalong property before and after the incident, suggest that Murozoda was the only other person present when it occurred.
It showed that Murozoda had entered the house alone and that Mr Mkhitarian had done likewise sometime after. The CCTV footage then also showed Murozoda leaving the property alone with no sign of Mkhitarian.
Further evidence collected by police officers shows that Murozoda made his way to Phuket International Airport, where he was captured on CCTV, before boarding a flight to Istanbul, Turkey at 9:38pm.
It has now been confirmed that police have liaised with Interpol in an effort to track the prime suspect down after issuing arrest warrant No. J. 152/2567 dated Mar 14, 2024 for the offense of “intentionally killing another person” according to Section 288 of the Thai Criminal Code.