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Published on September 26, 2007

Police yesterday obtained arrest warrants for a brother of cosmetic surgeon Phaisal Hengsawas and another man for their suspected roles in the murder of a former patient and a former staffer of the surgeon.

The warrants were approved after the alleged gunman in the killings, Jaturong Benkul, 25, who was arrested on Monday, confessed to police. He alleged Sakda Hengsawas, 32, coordinated both shootings and that Prakob Seenard, 29, was the motorcyclist who helped him to escape after both shootings.

Sakda's and Prakob's whereabouts are not known.

Dr Phaisal Hengsawas was yesterday charged with producing a drug without permission and producing an unlicensed drug by the Economic and Technological Crime Suppres-sion Division (Ecotec).

Phaisal is required to meet Ecotec officers on October 1 to acknowledge both charges. He faces a prison term of up to seven years and a fine of up to Bt15,000.

Ecotec is acting on a complaint filed against Phaisal by the Food and Drug Administration over his alleged use of liquidised silicone he injected into businesswoman Raweewan Setarat and other Bio Clinic clients - a practice not legalised by the FDA.

Jaturong has been charged with premeditated murder, possessing an illegal firearm and munitions and carrying them around without permission, following his confession that he shot Raweewan dead on September 13, and taxi driver Bunlue Rungrueng on March 19.

Police have not yet concluded whether the three men were responsible for the killing of Charnwit Charnrattanachai, a former Bio Clinic client, on November 18, 2006. Charnwit had lodged a civil lawsuit against Phaisal demanding a huge compensation pay-out for a bad infection to his lower eye line after undergoing cosmetic surgery.

Police said Jaturong in January completed a four-year prison term for attempted murder in Chon Buri. He allegedly told police he was paid Bt30,000 to shoot Bunlue and Bt100,000 to shoot Raweewan.

Jaturong is in custody in Lat Phrao police station, which covers the scene where Raweewan was shot dead, and is under a suicide watch.

Crime Suppression Division (CSD) officers dispatched 14 teams in Bangkok and five other central provinces to hunt down both suspects at the many furniture factories owned by Sakda. A team also searched Dr Phaisal's Bio Clinic in Don Muang district yesterday morning, before the surgeon decided to close it for one day.

Throughout the police's 20-minute search, Phaisal appeared stressed and asked his staff to follow the police officers as they inspected his clinic. Police later found a sheath cover for his registered hunting rifle but not the weapon itself. Police also searched medical records and clients' profiles kept in computers and stored all the information.

Police later seized a black Nissan Cefiro at Sakda's home in Ayuthaya and are now collecting fingerprints and other evidence from it. The vehicle was seen parked near Bunlue's home for several days before he was shot dead in March.

Also seized was a red Honda Nova without licence plates parked in an apartment in Lat Phrao district. Police are interviewing witnesses as to whether it was the same model and colour seen parked near Raweewan's home before she was shot dead.

A CSD team had earlier searched a Bio Clinic branch in Chon Buri and later some locations in Pattaya but found no trace of Sakda. Another other CSD team searched a Bio Clinic branch in Udon Thani's Muang district.

Prof Dr Somsak Lohlaykha, chairman of the Medical Council, said only a Supreme Court verdict convicting a doctor of violating medical ethics or professionalism could lead to someone having their medical licence suspended.

"The Medical Council is expected to rule on the case of Dr Phaisal before such a conviction verdict is available," he said.

The Nation