The body of an Australian former Hells Angels member who was abducted at gunpoint by a group of masked men in Thailand has been discovered in a woodland grave, police said yesterday.
Wayne Rodney Schneider, 37, was kidnapped on Monday by a gang of men outside his house in Pattaya, a seaside resort town known for its sprawling red light district and links with organized crime.
Police launched a frantic search after security guards saw the Australian beaten unconscious and then bundled into the back of a van that sped off.
However, their search took a grim turn late on Tuesday, when his corpse was discovered outside the city.
“He was murdered. His body was buried 2m deep in a woodland area out of town,” said Police Colonel Sukthat Pumpanmuang, commander of Pattaya city police.
Police have named their chief suspect as Antonio Bagnato, a 27-year-old Australian national.
Media reported that Schneider and Bagnato had been out drinking together the night before the kidnap.
Sukthat said five people were believed to be involved in the kidnap and murder.
Schneider’s body was found in Sattahip District south of Pattaya, he said, adding that cause of death had yet to be determined and that an autopsy would be carried out.
The Australian had been in Thailand for about one month and had rented a house, putting down a 130,000 baht (US$3,626) deposit for six months.
Pattaya is a town renowned for its seedy underbelly, but it is unusual for foreigners to be killed in such a brazen manner.
The Sydney Morning Herald said Schneider had previously had run-ins with the law in his homeland, linked to his membership of the Hells Angels.
The newspaper added that Australian outlaw biker gangs have built up a growing presence in Pattaya in recent years.
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