The suspect, 24-year-old sophomore Pongpan Boonwiset, allegedly confessed to police that he and a fourth-year student named Thorn stalked the victim, Ekkapong Khuha, from his college to a pedestrian bridge near Talad Nong Khaem shopping mall where Pongpan shot him dead.

They apparently had not had any previous conflicts with the victim. The murder resulted from Pongpan's rage against Pathumwan Institute students who had reportedly shot and stabbed his friend to death in Lat Phrao late last month, Pongpan told police.

 Pongpan was arrested by police officers and two sniffer dogs in a wooded area 500 metres from the scene just a few hours after the murder. Yesterday morning, he was taken to the 10-rai area, where he claimed to have disposed of a .38 pistol. Following an hour of unsuccessful searching for the murder weapon, police took Pongpan to swiftly re-enact his crime at the scene as many onlookers watched.

Police then contacted the Uthen Thawai campus for information about Pongpan's alleged accomplice so that they could issue an arrest warrant.

Victim Ekkapong, who had just moved from Si Sa Ket to Bangkok to study engineering, was described by relatives as a good student with high grades who had never fought with anyone.

His classmates and seniors offered to help his family with his funeral. They described Ekkapong as shy, studious and of good behaviour. "We study hard and we don't have time to fight with anybody. The suspect's claim that we attacked his friend is untrue. Ekkapong was not the friend's killer," said one classmate.