Suspects in murder of missing Russian siblings case arrested as search continues for bodies

The suspects in the murder of two missing Russian siblings have been arrested in eastern Thailand as the search for their bodies continues.

Thana Kerdthong, 43, and Thongchai Srinil, 39, were today caught by police in a forest in Sa Kaeo province, bordering Cambodia.

They allegedly confessed to killing Russian youngsters Diana Nazimova, 22, and her younger brother Roman, 17, days earlier in a bungled robbery.

The siblings had vanished in the early hours of Sunday morning, July 26, while driving a motorcycle to a shop in Pattaya.

Their dismantled Honda ADV160 was later found in a freshly dug pit at an old cemetery near Thana's home, sparking a search that involved hundreds of police, volunteers, rescue workers, and sniffer dogs.

Officers traced the suspects to neighbouring Chanthaburi before blocking their escape through the Thai-Cambodia border in Sa Kaeo.

Footage shows cops dragging one heavily tattooed man out of a longan orchard in just his underwear. His shirtless companion was arrested at a property nearby.

Both were taken to the Wang Somboon Police Station on suspicion of 'jointly stealing property at night using a vehicle, or receiving stolen property'.

During questioning, the men allegedly admitted to murdering the siblings. They claimed they had tried to steal their motorcycle, but the youngsters resisted.

CCTV previously showed the alleged victims speaking with Thana under the Chak Ngaeo motorway bridge before vanishing.

The suspects reportedly confessed to shooting Roman dead and beating his sister Diana to death.

They then claimed to have buried the bodies near Khao Chi Chan, a limestone mountain in Chonburi, before disposing of the siblings' motorbike to get rid of evidence. They denied sexually assaulting the girl.

The suspects' landlord earlier claimed the two men were covered in mud when they returned on the night of July 26.

The siblings' mother Zarina Nazimova, 40, said she has been living in Pattaya since 2018, and her children joined her in 2021. Neither of the youngsters can speak Thai.

Police said the search was ongoing to locate the Russians' bodies.