Police said the victim and the suspect knew each other before they came to the popular Thai tourist island of Koh Pha Ngan.
ADVERTISEMENTA Spanish citizen has confessed to killing and dismembering the body of another foreigner on the popular Thai tourist island of Koh Pha Ngan, police said Saturday.
Authorities say that body parts including hips and thighs that were found at a rubbish dump on Thursday belong to a 44-year-old Colombian plastic surgeon named Edwin Arrieta Arteaga.
Daniel Sancho Bronchalo, 29, who arrived in Thailand on 31 July as a tourist, has confessed to the murder, police said.
He appeared before a court on Monday as police sought his continued detention for investigation, Police Major General Saranyu Chamnanrat told reporters.
The suspect works as a chef and is the son of well-known Spanish actor Rodolfo Sancho, according to media reports.
"He admitted it," Koh Pha Ngan's police chief Panya Niratimanon, told reporters, adding that the investigation is ongoing.
"The victim and the suspect knew each other before they came to Thailand, and his dubious activities indicate that he might murder the victim," Panya said.
Photos of the suspect appear to match pictures on Daniel Sancho's Instagram account, which also follows the victim's account. The Instagram account has been previously tagged in Rodolfo Sancho's posts.
The police said DNA tests of the remains proved them to be of Arrieta, adding they have other evidence against Sancho.
Koh Pha Ngan is famed for its white sandy beaches and draws thousands of backpackers to its notoriously wild 'full moon' parties.
In 2014, another tourist island, Koh Tao, was rocked by the double murder of two young British backpackers.
Two Burmese nationals are serving sentences of life imprisonment for the murders, but rights groups have accused Thai authorities of using the men as scapegoats