Police in Thailand have arrested an Australian man trying to leave the country following the discovery of a 17-year-old girl's remains in a suitcase in the tourist hotspot of Pattaya, news reports said on Saturday.
The man, with whom the Thai girl was last seen in Pattaya, is accused of her murder, local and Australian media reported, citing police.
The suspect, in his mid-forties, was arrested on Friday at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok and taken back to Pattaya for questioning.
Two hours earlier, friends had reported the girl as missing in the resort, according to Australia's ABC News. CCTV footage showed her entering the man's hotel early Thursday morning, holding hands with him, the broadcaster said.
Subsequent footage showed the man leaving the hotel alone, dragging a large, evidently heavy suitcase behind him.
Street surveillance cameras showed him loading the case onto a moped and driving along a railway line. Emergency services later found the girl's body in the same location, about a 10-minute drive from the hotel. The body was naked and her face showed signs of significant violence.
Police believe the man murdered the teenager, with scratch marks on his body indicating that she had fought back. Contradicting reports said the man had denied this or confessed to the crime but claiming he was acting in self-defence.
Authorities also accuse him of taking the minor "for the purpose of committing indecent acts."
According to ABC, murder in Thailand is punishable by death or life imprisonment. The coastal resort town is known as a hotspot for prostitution.