Who is Thai 'serial killer' Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn, accused of murdering people with cyanide?

A Thai woman has been accused of murdering at least 14 people with cyanide in a case that has gripped a nation. Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn, who is four months pregnant, was arrested last week by Thai police. Her ex-husband Vitoon Rangsiwuthaporn, a former police officer, surrendered to the police on Thursday after an arrest warrant was issued. Let’s take a closer look at Sararat: The 32-year-old first came under suspicion after the death of a friend while they were on a trip together in April, as per BBC. Police began making inquiries after the victim’s family pointed the finger at Sararat. Police said Sararat and her friend Siriporn Khanwong a couple of weeks ago went to Ratchaburi province where they participated in a Buddhist protection ritual at a river.

Khanwong suddenly collapsed in the middle of the ritual and passed away.

Her body was found without her phone, her bags and her money. The autopsy showed traces of cyanide, as per BBC. A source told the Thai newspaper The Nation that police found a bottle of cyanide in Sararat’s possession. Khanwong’s mother said she suspected Sararat as she’d recently made friends with her wealthy daughter. She added that she approached the deputy police chief directly with her concerns as Sararat’s former husband is a police officer. Police then compiled a list of around a dozen other individuals – between the ages of 33 and 44 – who passed away after being in contact with Sararat. The victims’ families said jewellery and money – anywhere from 60,000 to 300,000 baht – was missing from their bodies and bank accounts, as per BBC. The BBC reported that Thai police think Sararat’s modus operandi is to get in the good books of wealthy people and then convince them to join her on a trip or for a meal. Sararat would murder her victims by giving them cyanide bills – either as herbal medicine or mixing it in their food and drink. [caption id=“attachment_12552072” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn is four months pregnant and the ex-wife of a former police officer. Reuters[/caption] One alleged victim who claims to have survived being poisoned by Sararat after she lent her 250,000 baht said she was saved just in the nick of time. ThaiPbsWorld reported that Kantima Pae-saard told police Sararat gave her ‘cough medicine’ pills when they were at a department store. Kantima, while driving home, began feeling discomfort in her chest. She attempted to contact Sararat, but was unable to. She then reached out to a medical hotline – who sent help just in time to save her life. “Now, I suspect that she tried to poison me,” Kantima was quoted as saying. “She asked people she knows for money because she has a lot of credit card debt… and if they asked her for their money back she started killing them,” deputy national police chief Surachate Hakparn was quoted as saying by BBC. According to CBS, Surachate has said Sararat borrowed hundreds of thousands of dollars from her victims.

“We are investigating the amount of money that she got from victims,” Surachate added.

According to The Mirror, Sararat has been denied bail by the court as she is thought to be a flight risk. She is at the Central Women’s Correctional Institution. The newspaper quoted her lawyer as saying that she denies all the charges and that her blood pressure spiked while in custody. According to CNN, Sararat’s husband Witoon lost his job as a local deputy police chief last week. Witoon, who held the rank of Lt. Colonel, has been booked for fraud and embezzlement in the case. Surachate said the couple have continued their relationship despite being divorced and that Witoon has denied any hand in the murders. Surachate told CNN Witoon has said he is willing to cooperate. “Let’s see how much he can do or if he is really sincere,” Surachate was quoted as saying by the outlet. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.