“He may have changed his appearance and shaved his beard."
The investigation into the death of a man on holiday in Thailand has developed as police now say he was murdered.
Amitpal Singh Bajaj, aged 34, of Southall, London, was on holiday with his family at the five-star Centara Grand Hotel on Karon Beach, Phuket.
However, at around 4:00 am on August 21, 2019, Roger Bullman stormed into Mr Bajaj’s bedroom after singing on his balcony.
A fight ensued which ended when Bullman strangled Mr Bajaj in front of his wife Bandhna Kaur Bajaj and their two-year-old son.
Norwegian national Bullman, aged 53, was arrested and charged with manslaughter but went on the run before appearing in court.
After Mrs Bajaj relived the attack in September, Thai detectives have stated that her husband was murdered.
She secretly flew back to Thailand to help police re-enact her husband’s final moments as he struggled with the former bodyguard and martial arts expert in an attempt to protect his family.
Mrs Bajaj showed officers how Bullman burst into her bedroom through the balcony doors.
The victim had told his wife to “go go go” with their son Veer while he scuffled with Bullman.
But minutes later, Mr Bajaj’s body was found outside their hotel room.
Police found Bullman beside the body crying after he held him in a stranglehold from behind.
Ten days after the killing, Bullman reportedly used an ATM in Phuket before absconding.
While on the run, it emerged that he applied for a new passport at the Norwegian Embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam.
According to a family member of the victim, Bullman remains in a South-East Asian country and may have taken steps to alter his appearance.
Details of his whereabouts became even more strange after his partner Elwira Olsen sold their flat without informing neighbours.
She and Bullman lived with their young daughter in a quiet wooded area on the outskirts of Oslo.
One neighbour said: “I would say he was a friendly man. He was a big guy but never any trouble at all. He also looked after Elwira’s daughter.”
During her reconstruction, the police were told that Mr Bajaj and his wife had heard a woman screaming from Bullman’s hotel room and objects being hurled.
They prayed for her and chose not to get involved. The couple then tried to get to sleep.
According to the Daily Mail, Mrs Bajaj explained that she struggled to sleep and at around 4 am, Bullman entered their room making “animal noises and grunting” before attacking her husband.
A source within the family said:
“Her sole purpose was to let the police see that this was not a case of self-defence, but one of murder.”
“She was shocked and very upset when she learned that Bullman had been freed on bail and feared he would disappear… and he did just that.
“If only the Thai police had given more thought about releasing him, he would have been before a judge now and the case would have proceeded.
“Now she has to wait and hope. She wants the public in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam to keep an eye out for Bullman.
“He may have changed his appearance and shaved his beard. But he has very distinctive tattoos. Somebody will see him and they should inform their local police.”
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