Billionaire couple found dead in Koh Tao pool

[reader]

From  The Thaiger

A preliminary autopsy results suggest the billionaire couple died from drowning at the Koh Tao resort pool. Water was found in both their lungs and medical examiners at the Police General Hospital say the couple died from lack of oxygen. More tests are being done and police are still investigating.

Last Friday, the Thai-Indian couple Anshoo and Rakeshwar Sachatamakul, 55 and 58, travelled with their 34 year old son Ratish from a Chumphon to Koh Tao, an island in the Gulf of Thailand off the Surat Thani coast. After checking in to the Jamahkhiri Resort & Spa, the couple went to lounge by the swimming pool. Ratish went on a walk on the beach, but later went to the pool where he found his parents floating in the water.

No one was at the pool at the time of the couple’s death and surveillance cameras by the pool were not working. Police are now reviewing footage taken from other areas of the resort.

No signs of assault where found on the bodies. Preliminary autopsy results suggest the couple died from drowning. Medical examiners say water was found in their lungs and they died from lack of oxygen. Blood samples were sent to the laboratory for analysis and the results are expected to be released in 30 days. The Thai Examiner says that police also seized 5 bottles of beer for examination.

A report from the Bangkok Post said Anshoo’s body was found at a shallow area of the pool that was a metre deep. The deep end of the pool is about 2.2 metres deep.

Rakeshwar was the co-owner and CEO of the Novotel Phuket Kamala Beach, owner of the the Bangkapi Manison apartments in Bangkok, and managing director of Wireform A.N., a Thailand-based manufacturer of precision springs and plastic parts.

Police are investigating to determine if the couple had conflict with anyone and are looking into the couple’s insurance records to investigate the beneficiaries.

https://thethaiger.com/news/national/billionaire-couple-in-koh-tao-drowned-preliminary-autopsy-results-show

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28 year old Australian man found dead near Krabi island

Thai police are investigating the death of a 28 year old Australian man who was found dead last week by Koh Pu, a small island in Krabi near Koh Lanta.

Robert Wojcik, a Sydney native who had lived in Thailand since late 2019 working as a divemaster, took his boat out on June 1. When he did not come home that night, his girlfriend asked a fisherman to search for him. His body was found the next day.

A post shared on a Facebook page for Phuket expats said the keys to the boat were still in the ignition and his phone and wallet were also onboard. Robert’s iPad was the only item missing from the boat. He had used it to speak to his father at around 9:30pm. Officer Taweelarb Suwannarerksuspect says police suspect he fell overboard.

https://thethaiger.com/news/national/28-year-old-australian-man-found-dead-near-krabi-island-last-week

[PeterRS]

3 hours ago, reader said:

No one was at the pool at the time of the couple’s death and surveillance cameras by the pool were not working. Police are now reviewing footage taken from other areas of the resort ... A report from the Bangkok Post said Anshoo’s body was found at a shallow area of the pool that was a metre deep. The deep end of the pool is about 2.2 metres deep.

Rakeshwar was the co-owner and CEO of the Novotel Phuket Kamala Beach, owner of the the Bangkapi Manison apartments in Bangkok, and managing director of Wireform A.N., a Thailand-based manufacturer of precision springs and plastic parts.

Police are investigating to determine if the couple had conflict with anyone and are looking into the couple’s insurance records to investigate the beneficiaries.

Something seems really fishy here. The guy owned a resort in Phuket and an apartment complex in Bangkok with a pool. Presumably he and his wife must have been reasonably regular swimmers or at the very least loungers in pools. How could such a man drown in just a meter of water? And why would the resort's pool surveillance cameras not be working? I suppose it's possible one might have had a major heart attack and died in the water. But both? Murder seems most likely.

It reminds me of a drowning in Hong Kong many years ago. John Wimbush was the very elegant, English Managing Partner of Deacons, the territory's top law firm. One of his clients had become notorious. A rather strange businessman originally owing a pest control company, George Tan, a Malaysian Chinese, started investing in property in Hong Kong. One year his new  company - named Carrian (geddit?) - bought a building in Central District for vastly more than it was worth with money his company clearly did not have. Not that that ever stopped anyone speculating in Hong Kong property. It started a property boom and Tan was making millions. Three years later when the negotiations between Britain and China seemed to be getting into deep water, boom turned to bust. Carrian also went spectacularly bust.

On the morning Wimbush was due to be questioned by the police, he did not turn up at this office. A check at his posh home on The Peak discovered him face down in his swimming pool. But it was a little more than curious. He was dressed his his striped three piece business suit. His well polished black shoes were at the pool side. But around his neck was a heavy link chain tied to the grille at the bottom of the deep end. A verdict of suicide was somewhat amazingly given by the coroner.

That case also involved the murder of a Malaysian banker who had come to audit some of Carrian's books. When the case finally made it to Court, it was the most complex fraud case Hong Kong had ever seen. After six months, the judge ruled that it was too complex for the jury (and unquestionably for him) and declared a mistrial. The legal establishment was utterly furious and he was forced to resign. He and his wife quickly retired to a home they had in Cyprus. After a few months, the judge wrapped his car around a tree and was killed. Accident or murder? It was never established.

[Lonnie]

Murder Most Likely!

[anddy]

On 6/8/2021 at 5:16 PM, reader said:

police suspect he fell overboard.

...and drowned? A divemaster? Yeah right.....

[reader]

From The Thai Examiner

Staff heard 4 to 5 shouts before alarm was raised in Ko Tao island death

34-year-old son Ratish Sachathamakul went kayaking while his parents later emerged from their bedroom looking for the pool area. When the younger man returned, he also headed to the swimming pool where he found his father, 59-year-old Mr Ratesh and raised the alarm. The body of his 55-year-old mother was only found later when rescue services arrived at the scene.

On Tuesday, new details emerged as police investigated the death of a wealthy billionaire industrialist and his wife on Ko Tao last Friday. A member of staff told police he heard four to five cries of someone in shock approximately 10 minutes before the businessman’s son arrived at the scene and summoned help. It also emerged that the businessman was alive but unconscious when staff arrived at the pool and it was only later the body of his wife was discovered at the deeper end, floating in the water. 

Police on Tuesday intensified their review into the case of the deaths of the Thai Indian industrialist and his wife who died on Friday last at a luxury hotel resort on Ko Tao island in Surat Thani province.

It is understood the Sachathamakuls had booked accommodation with the other hotel on the island through an online booking app but on arrival, it was found that the hotel accommodation was too small and it was engaged in construction work. 

59-year-old Mr Rakeshwar Sachathamakul and his wife Anchoo were collected from a hotel that they had originally booked on the island but had rejected, by the driver for the Jamahkiri Resort & Spa, Mr Peerathorn Chantao. He picked the party up at approximately 11 am.

Mr Peerathorn told police that when the party arrived at the new hotel, Mr Ratesh and his wife Anchoo sat outside and drank a bottle of beer each while they ordered food to be delivered to their room.

The couple took possession of their room at 12.17 pm according to sources.

Mr Ratish, the couple’s son, decided to find an alternative place to stay.

Hotel staff next heard from Mr Ratish who booked a kayak at reception where he left his bag and smartphone. 

Sometime after this, Mr Ratish arrived back at reception and handed back the kayak in exchange for his phone and bag. He also asked staff for directions to the swimming pool and was directed there.

According to what police have ascertained so far, at 3.49 pm, a member of staff, Mr Irada Jaiman, said he heard a man’s voice crying out in shock. He said he heard the cry four or five times in a row.

He turned around but saw no one and did not respond.

However, at 4.01 pm or 12 minutes later, he heard another shout and saw Mr Ratish near the swimming pool calling out for help.

Continues with photo

https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2021/06/09/shocked-cries-in-ko-tao-death-of-billionaire-wife/

 

[msclelovr]

Not to divert this thread but it triggered something in my memory. There was the strange double-homicide of a Canadian billionaire couple in their home in Toronto in 2017. AFAIK their murder remains unsolved. 

[khaolakguy]

On 6/9/2021 at 3:10 PM, anddy said:

...and drowned? A divemaster? Yeah right.....

 It must have been the weight of the iPad that he was apparently holding when he fell overboard!

[VancBCMan]

5 hours ago, msclelovr said:

There was the strange double-homicide of a Canadian billionaire couple in their home in Toronto in 2017. AFAIK their murder remains unsolved

Yes, still unsolved and the police not revealing much about their investigation.

[PeterRS]

4 hours ago, khaolakguy said:

 It must have been the weight of the iPad that he was apparently holding when he fell overboard!

Fell overboard into a hotel swimming pool? That's a new one on me 

[spoon]

5 hours ago, PeterRS said:

Fell overboard into a hotel swimming pool? That's a new one on me 

There is two piece of news here. One is the divemaster on the boat and another is the billionaire death in the swimming pool. 

[PeterRS]

1 hour ago, spoon said:

There is two piece of news here. One is the divemaster on the boat and another is the billionaire death in the swimming pool. 

Sorry, I did not even read the bit about the Australian divemaster! I was too taken up with the pool deaths and how suspicious all that seems. But I wonder why the divemaster would use his iPad to make the phone call. After all, he had his phone with him. Although he could probably make app calls on both, why would he take up the bigger device yo do so? Or have I missed something else?

[spoon]

55 minutes ago, PeterRS said:

Sorry, I did not even read the bit about the Australian divemaster! I was too taken up with the pool deaths and how suspicious all that seems. But I wonder why the divemaster would use his iPad to make the phone call. After all, he had his phone with him. Although he could probably make app calls on both, why would he take up the bigger device yo do so? Or have I missed something else?

I'd used ipad to make video calls making use of the bigger screen to see his father better. 

[PeterRS]

1 hour ago, spoon said:

I'd used ipad to make video calls making use of the bigger screen to see his father better. 

I have shown my age!!!! I just always use my small phone.