Murder of Wendy Albano
Wendy Albano was an American businesswoman[1] murdered in 2012 in a hotel room in Bangkok.[2] Authorities in the U.S. contacted the United States Department of State, leading to the arrest of a suspect hiding in India in 2014.[2] The chief suspect was an Indian business associate who fled to India after her death.[3] One of the key pieces of evidence that made him a suspect was their known business relationship and video surveillance from the hotel.[2] U.S. Senator Bill Nelson asked then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to help with the case.[4][5]
Wendy Albano | |
---|---|
Born | Tampa, Florida, US |
Died | February 2012 (aged 52) Bangkok, Thailand |
Occupation | Interior designer |
Children | 2 |
Background
Albano was an interior designer who had worked on the homes of celebrities including Derek Jeter and Tino Martinez.[6] Her business was called Wendy Albano Interiors. She had lived in the US States of California and Florida.[4]
Death
Albano was found stabbed and strangled to death[7] in February 2012 at a hotel in Bangkok.[8] In September 2014, Indian Police arrested the prime suspect Ritesh Narpatraj Sanghvi, a business associate who had befriended her on Facebook in 2010.[8] They had worked on some business deals and were reportedly working together to import hand-made jewelry.[8] The hotel was Fraser Suites Sukhumvit in Bangkok, and one of the leads was CCTV footage that showed the suspect leaving the establishment.[9]
Sanghvi lodged a legal challenge to his extradition from India to Thailand which was heard in Delhi High Court and dismissed on 7 January 2019.[10] On 28 February 2019, Sanghvi was extradited to Thailand.[11]
References
- News, C. T. N. (2012-02-16). "US Business Woman Found Murdered in Bangkok Hotel". CTN News - Chiang Rai & Thailand Latest news. Retrieved 2019-11-01.
- Police in India arrest suspect in 2012 murder of South Tampa designer
- "Posing as courier boys, Mumbai cops nab murderer on the run for 2 years". mid-day. 2014-09-30. Retrieved 2019-04-01.
- U.S. senator seeks Clinton’s help in case of Tampa woman murdered in Bangkok hotel
- "Clinton's Help Sought in Thailand Murder". Archived from the original on 2016-03-13. Retrieved 2015-08-10.
- Arrest made in South Tampa designer's murder from 2012
- "US Woman Murdered in Thailand". ABC News. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
- Man arrested for killing US woman in Bangkok hotel
- Wendy Albano, American Businesswoman, Murdered In Thailand; Cops Seek Indian Boyfriend
- Ritesh Narpatraj Sanghvi vs Union Of India on 7 January, 2019
- List of Fugitives Extradited by India to Foreign Countries