Three arrested in connection with Russian woman’s death

One of the three, a Jordanian national, was arrested at Phuket airport while trying to flee the country last night.

Patong Police, assisted by Phuket Tourist Police, Phuket Immigration officers and regular police placed Ahmad Radi Mustafa Alatoom, 28, in custody at Phuket airport while he was waiting to board a flight out of Thailand, police have confirmed.

The other two placed under arrest were named as Russian national Natalia Kosenkova, 35, and US citizen Jamaal Antwaun Smith, 38.

The three have been taken to Patong Police Station to be charged with possession of Category 5 drug, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Sermphan Sirikong said.

The arrests came as police investigate the death of 35-year-old Russian national Evgeniia Smirnova at The Emerald Terrace condo off Phra Barami Rd in Patong yesterday morning.

Police were called to the condo complex at 4:30am. Officers were shown where the body of Ms Smirnova lay, at the back of the building, below where curved exterior stairs join the seventh and eighth floors. Ms Smirnova had suffered fatal trauma on impact. She died instantly, police said.

The drug-possession charge was pressed against all three tourists after 1.10 grammes of finely chopped dried marijuana was found in a transparent plastic bag in the room where Ms Smirnova was staying, reported Maj Gen Sermphan.

Ms Smirnova was staying at the condo block with the three tourists now arrested, he said.

The four had been drinking and used drugs on the night of the incident, he added.

Maj Gen Sermphan repeated his message from yesterday that police were still investigating the circumstances of Ms Smirnova’s death.

“Police are now working hard to find out the cause of the death of the Russian woman. We must ask for time for officers to do their work and to collect evidence related to the case,” he said.