Thai police arrested the maid suspected of attempting to poison a child, live on television, on December 30.
The case was revealed after a Thai mother issued a warning to the online community, claiming that her two-year-old son, Kirin, had narrowly escaped serious danger.
See: Horror in Thailand: a maid tries to poison a baby
A maid accused of pouring disinfectant into a baby bottle
Photo taken from a surveillance camera showing the maid with the spray bottle containing the disinfectant she put in the child's bottle.
The mother claimed that the maid she had just hired, Usanee Palang-usa, 57, had poured liquid Dettol disinfectant into her son's bottle.
She shared CCTV footage showing Usanee pouring the disinfectant into Kirin's bottle.
The incident was discovered when the boy's grandmother noticed a strong chemical smell coming from his bottle.
The family immediately took Kirin to the hospital for medical treatment.
After a night under observation at the hospital, doctors confirmed that the child was out of danger.
The mother stated that she did not understand Usanee's motive, as the housekeeper had only just started working for the family.
After the story went viral on the Internet, several other alleged victims came forward, claiming that Usanee had already stolen from them.
Some social media users hypothesized that the suspect may have intended to poison the child so that the family would leave the house to go to the hospital, allowing her to steal valuables from the house.
Usanee fled the house shortly after the incident.
The accused reappears on a popular television show
The two hosts of the Hone Krasae TV show receive two witnesses (center in white clothing) to discuss the case of a child poisoned by a maid. Photo taken from the Hone Krasae show on Channel 3
After being missing for several days, she finally reappeared on Tuesday on the popular news program Hone Krasae (โหนกระแส) on Channel 3 to defend herself against these accusations.
During the interview, Usanee stated that she did not intend to poison the child.
She admitted to having poured a liquid from a spray bottle into the bottle, but stated that she did not know it was a disinfectant, insisting that she thought it was milk because of its white color.
However, CCTV footage appears to contradict her explanation, as it shows Usanee using the same liquid to clean the floor a little earlier.
Usanee continued to deny all allegations.
Rather than acknowledging her act, she blamed the child's mother for harming her by sharing the story on Facebook.
She explained that she had to open a new Facebook account with a different name.
The show then contacted another alleged victim, who claimed to have caught Usanee stealing money and a gold necklace on CCTV footage.
The woman stated that Usanee then returned the items to her and begged her not to pursue legal action or post the incident online.
Usanee firmly denied the allegation and accused the victim of fabricating the story.
Arrest on live TV on the set of Hone Krasae
The maid on the right leaves the TV set to be interrogated by the police. Photo taken from the Hone Krasae program on Channel 3
During the interview, officers from the Bang Pong Pang police station arrived at the studio to arrest her.
This decision angered Usanee, who accused the program of setting her up to be arrested.
She stated:
“Did you set me up to get me arrested?”
You paid me 5,000 bahts to participate in the interview, then you called the police.
“That's not fair!”
The host then clarified that it was money to pay for her taxi, but she had come by motorcycle and asked her to confirm.
She then left the studio before being escorted to the police station for further questioning.
At the end of the show, the host stated that other alleged victims should go to the police station to file a complaint against Usanee.
Video of the maid's interview
The arrest took place in the final minutes of the Hone Krasae show.
The video is in Thai but you can use French subtitles.
See also:
Sixth tourist dies in Thailand after being poisoned in Laos
Thailand sentences cyanide serial killer to death
Drink spiking: an Australian woman testifies after her trip to Thailand
A Thai woman arrested for drugging and robbing a foreign tourist
A tourist drugged and raped on the island of Koh Tao in Thailand
Source: The Thaiger
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