Thai man arrested for fake story about pregnant wife in collapsed building

A 51-year-old man was arrested for making a false claim that his pregnant wife was trapped under the rubble of a collapsed building in the Chatuchak district. 

Somnit Duangnet was among those anxiously waiting for the rescue of victims trapped under the State Audit Office wreckage, which fell after an earthquake last Friday. 

He claimed that his wife, who was four months pregnant, had reached out to him before the quake and said the building was shaking. He claimed he lost contact with her after that and was desperately searching for her without much sleep, holding onto hope that she was okay.

However, a 25-year-old woman Kornwipa Sonbuppa -- who was wrongly linked to Somnit's story -- filed a complaint against him. She said his lies caused panic among her family. 

Kornwipa was shocked when she saw her old employee ID card on the news.

Kornwipa said Somnit's false claims hurt her reputation, even though she had no connection to him. She recounted how her mother was left in shock after getting a call from the local authorities, mistakenly telling her that Kornwipa had died.

Kornwipa was confused about how the old employee card ended up with Somnit and expressed her frustration about the situation.

Somnit was later arrested and the incident is under investigation.

(Staff reporter and The Nation)