PATTAYA – Two Thai men arrested over the disappearance of Russian siblings Diana Nazimova, 22, and her brother Roman, 17, are said to have confessed to killing them – as police and forensic teams raced to a forest spot where the teenagers’ bodies may be buried.
Thai media reported on Friday afternoon that the two main suspects, Thana “Pong” Kerdthong, 43, and Thongchai “Thong” Srinil, 39, admitted during questioning that they killed the siblings in a robbery attempt. The teens are said to have been shot and beaten before their bodies were buried on a mountain near Pattaya. A final, official confirmation from police command is still pending.
“Confessed” after jungle manhunt – police head to burial site
According to reports from Thai media, the suspects told investigators they only wanted to steal the siblings’ motorcycle. When Diana and Roman resisted, the pair allegedly shot the 17-year-old and beat his sister to death, then buried the bodies at the foot of Khao Chi Chan mountain and fled.
Police and forensic teams were on Friday afternoon heading with the two detainees to the suspected dumping site in the Huai Yai area to verify the statements and secure evidence. The teenagers have now been missing for six days.
Both suspects caught after manhunt across three provinces
Thongchai was arrested on Friday in Wang Sombun district, Sa Kaeo province, after abandoning his red motorcycle during a police chase and fleeing into woodland. Shortly afterwards, police also took Thana into custody – reportedly in possession of two grenades and a .38-calibre pistol.
The two men, both recently released convicts, had broken through a checkpoint in Chanthaburi province overnight wearing police-like uniforms, according to police. Officers had sealed off the border area towards Cambodia and Laos, with the emergency hotline 191 declaring Sa Kaeo a special surveillance zone.
Buried motorcycle led police to the suspects
The siblings vanished in the early hours of July 26 after leaving their home in the Bristol Park housing estate in Huai Yai on a rented black-and-grey Honda ADV 150. Diana sent their mother an urgent message saying she believed someone was following them – then all contact was lost.
On July 29, police found the motorcycle dismantled and buried in an old cemetery in Thung Luang, about 200 metres from the Na Jomtien–Map Ta Phut motorway and close to a relative’s home of one of the suspects. A dashcam recording shows both men leaving the soi on two motorcycles on the same morning, less than 100 metres from the burial site.
“You can’t get away” – wife begs suspect to surrender
Thongchai’s partner Suphraewrat, 34, who has lived with him for about a year, publicly urged him to hand himself in. “You can’t get away,” she told Thai journalists. She described Thana as a man who “seems mentally ill” and said both men were part of a drug scene involving methamphetamine and crystal meth.
She said she last saw Thongchai in the early hours of July 27, when he brought her 100 baht and disappeared. She believes her partner was dragged into the crime under pressure from Thana, who she says once tried to force himself on her. The siblings’ motorcycle was found about 500 metres from the home of Thana’s 74-year-old aunt, who said she had braced herself for the possibility that her nephew’s arrest could end in a shootout.
This is a developing story. More updates will follow as soon as new information is available.