BANGKOK - Thai police have launched a manhunt for two suspected Japanese gangsters believed to be involved in the murder of a fellow countryman.

The police are now coordinating with international authorities to secure an Interpol warrant for the arrest of the two Japanese suspects, identified as Suzuki Hiroto, 33, and Kato Takuya, 50.

Investigators suspect the murder resulted from a deal gone wrong between Japanese gangsters, also known as yakuza.

A 10-year-old boy on April 19 discovered the victim’s severed arms and mutilated body that were stuffed into black plastic bags and dumped in the secluded Soi Sawang 2 in Bang Bua Thong, Nonthaburi.

A search of the area revealed several grisly finds thought to be linked to the murder.

On April 21, investigators found axes and saws dumped about 2km away from the dismembered body. Then on April 23, skull fragments and small joints were found in an alley close to the initial discovery.

All body parts have been sent for forensic analysis to confirm they belonged to the same person, a 47-year-old Japanese man by the name Kabashima Ryosuke, Bangkok Post reported.

The police said a Thai suspect arrested on April 23 admitted having driven three Japanese men to a warehouse on the outskirts of Bangkok.

The 34-year-old suspect, Kritsakorn Jaiphitak, also known as Bom, told police that a heated argument broke out between the man in the front passenger seat and the two in the back seat.

When the vehicle arrived at the factory, a back-seat passenger instructed Bom to park and asked him to step out of the car. After stepping out to smoke a cigarette, Bom heard a gunshot from inside the car and ran back to find the front-seat passenger dead with a gunshot wound to the head.

He said the other two Japanese men took the body into the warehouse and returned with several heavy black plastic bags. They then instructed him to drive to different locations, where they disposed of the bags.

Police escorted Bom to the factory to search for further evidence. Investigators have charged him with conspiracy to conceal and destroy a corpse. THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK