Draft:2004 Indra Ritual Murder Case

• Comment: Please fix the reference which says its author is "Reporter, Staff" as this is not a person's name. M kuhner (talk) 03:03, 30 September 2026 (UTC)

---

2004 Indra Ritual Murder Case(Thai: คดีฆาตกรรมเด็กหญิงเพื่อบูชาพระอินทร์) is a murder that occurred on October 4, 2004, in Damnoen Saduak District, Ratchaburi Province, Thailand. The victim was a 12-year-old girl who was murdered by 3 members of her family. The perpetrators claimed their actions involved worshipping the god Indra and releasing the child's soul. Those involved were subsequently prosecuted and underwent psychiatric treatment. The incident garnered significant media attention in Thailand and later served as inspiration for other art form.

Background

Kanchana Jiamcharoen lived with her mother, Bua Jiamcharoen, and her younger sisters, Anong Jiamcharoen and Jarin Jiamcharoen, in a farming household in Damnoen Saduak District, Ratchaburi Province. Kanjana was the mother of Prapatsorn Jiamcharoen (murder victim). The child's father has not been definitively identified. The girl was the result of an unplanned pregnancy, and it has been reported that Kanchana was sexually assaulted prior to giving birth to the child.

Kanchana later claimed to possess supernatural abilities and identified herself as a medium for Indra. Her sister Anong was also reported to claim that she was a medium for the sun deity. The family practiced rituals with these beliefs. They had invited some people from the surrounding community to participate in their rituals before the killing.

From local residents' view, the family had previously been regarded as a close knit household and maintained ordinary relationships with their neighbors. Prapatsorn was described as having grown up normally. Neighbors later kept their distance from the family after they became increasingly involved in religious and supernatural beliefs, although they did not initially regard the family as violent or abusive toward Prapatsorn.

Motive and Intentions

Due to delusional disorder and strongly held beliefs. They believed that the girl, Prapatsorn, carried evil within her and needed to be killed to bring light to the world. Anong used a machete to slit the girl's throat and cut off the deceased's hair, which was then soaked in water. She then burned the clothes and bedding as part of a ritual to send the spirit away.

During questioning, police presented evidence in the form of a tape recording that Kanchana had made during the murder of her daughter, in which she tried to persuade the struggling girl to give up her life.

Arrest

On October 4, 2004, police at Damnoen Saduak Police Station, Ratchaburi Province, received a report of a death in a two-story wooden house. Upon going upstairs, they found the body of a 12-year-old girl at the scene, with a machete and her hair soaked in a bucket of water near the body. They then heard chanting in a room downstairs, where four women, members of the girl's family, were present. The arrest was chaotic, with the perpetrators resisting and cursing at the officers.

Upon their arrest, two of the four individuals began to regain their composure and realize what they had done.

Trial

Based on testimonies and medical evaluations, all four perpetrators were found to be suffering from mental instability and delusions. Consequently, no criminal charges were filed against them, in accordance with Section 65 of the Thai Criminal Code. All four individuals have since completed their treatment and are living peaceful lives.

Medias

วิปลาส (2014): A production by the Daragaya and Kasalong Theatre groups from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Khon Kaen University.