Help sought from Interpol as man fled Thailand after girlfriend was slain
PUBLISHED : 7 Dec 2024 at 19:37
Thai police have sought help from Interpol to arrest a Moroccan man suspected of murdering his girlfriend in Chiang Mai and fleeing the country.
Police and forensic experts from Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital are investigating the death of Thitikarn Dulikanon, whose body was discovered on Friday at the beauty clinic she owned near the Mae Hia Market intersection in Muang district.
Thitikarn, a transgender woman, was found lying on a bed in her third-floor bedroom. Bruising around her neck suggested possible strangulation. Investigators said Thitikarn lived at the Dr Sammy Clinic with her boyfriend Bilal Chefinu, a Moroccan national.
On Wednesday, Mr Chefinu was seen driving Thitikarn’s black Toyota Camry to Chiang Mai Airport. He flew to Hong Kong on AirAsia flight FD515 early on Thursday. Authorities suspect he may have killed Thitikarn before fleeing.
Thitikarn’s sister had not been able to contact her for two days but assumed she was travelling with her boyfriend and did not report her missing.
The body was discovered by a housekeeper cleaning the clinic. It has been sent to Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital.
CCTV footage showed Thitikarn and Mr Chefinu entering the clinic together on Wednesday. Later, Mr Chefinu was seen leaving alone in her car, which he abandoned near the airport.