CHON BURI: Police suspect extortion was the motive in the disappearance of a wealthy German businessman in Pattaya last week.
They have identified a woman believed to have pointed him out to his abductors, and the recipient of money paid by the missing property broker, 62-year-old Hans Peter Ralter Mack, Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, deputy police chief, said yesterday.
He said police would find Mr Mack, whether he was alive or dead.
Investigators were compiling their case to apply for court warrants, and he expected an arrest in the near future.
“The case concerns assets. The offenders seemed to know that Mr Mack had assets. Detectives must find out if they knew Mr Mack personally,” the deputy national police chief said.
Police would also look into the business activities of other people in the case, he said.
Regarding the investigation, two suspects, one Thai national, who is said to have identified the victim, and the other, a foreigner identified as Olaf, were called in for questioning at Nong Prue police station on Sunday night, said Pol Gen Surachate.
The two suspects, accompanied by their lawyers, declined to give statements.
Pol Gen Surachate said that the police believed Mr Mack’s property might be the main motive, as some transfers were seen into Mr Olaf’s bank account while Mr Mack was still missing.
Sources said investigators had detected suspicious financial transactions totalling about 2 million baht, which might be linked to the man’s disappearance.
He also said that the disappearance seemed well planned, adding that a forensic investigation regarding a chemical cleanser used to wipe the interior surfaces of Mr Mack’s Mercedes-Benz is needed.
Earlier in the morning, Mr Mack’s family, accompanied by representatives of the Win-Win Foundation, met with Pol Gen Surachate and representatives of the German embassy in Thailand to discuss the case.
Meanwhile, in Chon Buri, Pol Col Tawee Kudthalaeng, Nong Prue police chief, said that the police had also invited Mr Mack’s family members for more questioning on Sunday night.
Mr Mack, 62, has not been seen since July 4 after leaving home to meet a foreign property broker he had recently met.
The family filed a missing person complaint with police on July 5 and later offered a reward of 3 million baht for information on Mr Mack’s whereabouts.