A THAI man was killed allegedly by his own niece in Bangrak recently over inheritance sharing.

Somphong Thongmak, 42, was found dead with several gunshot wounds in the house of the suspect, Saijai Harnkla, 37, daughter of Somphong’s older sister, Waree. He had an unfired gun in his hand when police arrived at the crime scene. Saijai gave up voluntarily to the police.

Police were told that shortly before he was killed, the victim had a heated argument with his sister over a plot of land — said to be worth several millions of baht because of its close proximity to the Samui international airport — they had inherited from their parents.

In 2006, their father, Meed, grandfather of the suspected killer, was himself killed. Meed’s murder has been unsolved till now, although relatives believe it also had something to do with the land.

After Meed’s death, Somphong, reportedly over the objection of his sister and other relatives, took over the management of the property. When negotiating with potential buyers, he even claimed, witnesses said, to be the sole owner of the land, a claim that prompted Waree to sue Somphong for embezzlement.

Police said that at the time of the killing, Somphong was asking his sister to withdraw the embezzlement case against him.

During police questioning, Saijai said she shot Somphong to protect her mother. She said her mother and her uncle were having a heated argument when she saw him point a gun at her mother.

Fearing for her mother’s life, she said she ran for her father’s gun and shot his uncle.