BANGKOK, Thailand โ€” Thai authorities have arrested a 46-year-old Australian man at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport in connection with the alleged abduction and murder of a 17-year-old local girl whose body was discovered stuffed inside a suitcase. The suspect, identified by international media as a resident of Ballarat, Australia, was apprehended by immigration officers late Friday evening at around 9:30 PM while preparing to board a Jetstar flight to Perth. According to law enforcement officials, the suspect has denied any direct involvement in the teenager's disappearance and death during initial interrogations. CCTV Footage Traces Final Movements The high-profile investigation began in the seaside resort city of Pattaya, located on Thailand's eastern Gulf coast, following reports that a local teenage girl had gone missing. Detectives tracking the girl's final movements reviewed security footage from a local condominium complex. The video recordings showed the 17-year-old walking into an apartment building holding hands with the suspect during the early hours of Thursday, June 25. Separate closed-circuit cameras captured the Australian national leaving the residential building alone later that evening. The footage showed him wheeling a large, black suitcase out of the complex and loading it onto the back of a motorcycle before driving away along a local railway track. Suitcase Discarded Near Railway Line Following leads obtained during intensive questioning, investigators rushed to a secluded location behind the Pattaya Floating Market, situated near a railway track roughly four kilometers away from the residential building. At the scene, officers discovered the discarded black suitcase. Upon opening it, police found the naked body of the teenage girl bearing clear signs of physical violence. Pattaya city police officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that investigators are currently awaiting the official results of a post-mortem forensic examination and the compilation of additional physical evidence before formal indictments are filed in court. Severe Potential Charges and Consular Review Due to the gravity of the crime and the age of the victim, Thai legal authorities noted that the impending charges against the suspect are expected to include child abduction, murder, concealment of a corpse, and the abduction of a minor for sexual purposes. Under Thai criminal law, these offenses carry severe maximum penalties, including capital punishment or life imprisonment. A spokesperson for the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed on Saturday that the government is actively providing consular assistance to an Australian national currently detained in Thailand. The department noted that its role is strictly limited to monitoring the citizen's welfare in custody, assisting with access to local legal representation, and maintaining communication lines with family members in Australia, emphasizing that consular staff cannot intervene directly in the judicial proceedings of a foreign country.