British father choked to death by drunk man at Thailand hotel for asking him to keep the noise down
A drunk Norwegian man choked a British tourist to death in Thailand after they got into an argument about the noise the former was making in the early hours of the morning.
Amitpal Singh Bajaj, 34, had been in the country with his wife and two-year-old son for a holiday and was staying in a hotel in Phuket at the time of the fatal confrontation with Roger Bullman, 53, of Norway, according to the Daily Mail.
The problem started late on Tuesday, August 20, when Bajaj and his family found it difficult to sleep because of the noise emanating from the latter's room, which was reportedly right next to theirs. Bajaj initially tried to solve the problem by asking hotel security to intervene. But that only made the problem worse, with Bullman said to have increased the volume of his singing even further.
By 4 am, the 34-year-old could not take the noise any longer. Fed up, he grabbed a steak knife from his room and decided to confront his neighbor. Bullman, who was allegedly drunk, refused to cooperate and continued to sing loudly. The conversation then escalated into a full-fledged fight, with Bajaj stabbing him in the left shoulder.
But Bullman, a martial arts expert, quickly countered and gripped Bajaj in a chokehold. He continued to keep a tight grip on the 34-year-old as his wife desperately watched on, and by the time he let go, it was already too late.
Bullman was arrested the following morning at Karon police station and told deputies that he had acted instinctively and was not trying to intentionally kill Bajaj.
Speaking about the case, Police Major Techin Deethongon from the station confirmed that the argument erupted between Bullman and Bajaj because the former was singing loudly in the balcony between 1 am and 2 am.
"The husband came out to complain about the loud noise because the couple has a young child," he said. "They then started wrangling."
Phuket Tourist Police Major Ekkachai Siri confirmed Deethongon's statements.
"Mr. Bullman was drunk and causing so much noise that hotel security came to warn him twice," he said. "Mr. Bajaj carried a steak knife into Mr. Bullman's room. They started fighting and Mr. Bajaj stabbed Mr. Bullman in the left shoulder."
He said the Norwegian had been charged with "causing harm resulting in death" and that he must remain in the country until the charge against him has been heard. He also revealed that the 53-year-old had been released on bail by the Phuket Provincial Court.
Siri said that the British consular officials in Thailand were in contact with Bajaj's family and had informed them about his tragic death.