THE BODIES of a Scots millionaire and his Thai wife have been found buried in a garden after three hitmen 'confessed' to killing them.

Alan Hogg, 64, originally from Edinburgh, and his wife Nott, 61, were reported missing by friends in northern Thailand on Thursday.

Their corpses were found buried two metres deep in the garden of their 32-acre mansion estate in Phrae province after they were allegedly murdered in the garage.

The three men, who have not been named, are alleged to have received a total of £1,175 (50,000 baht) from Alan's brother-in-law Warut Satchakit, 63, to carry out the killing because of a family feud.

The Herald:

Two men, Bia Kamsai and Kittipong Kamwan, both 27, were arrested on suspicion of murder and allegedly confessed to the killings.

Two suspects have been arrested and warrants issued for two other men including Mr Satchakit.

Mr Satchakit, 63, was arrested on Monday after CCTV footage showed him entering the couple’s gated three-storey home on Thursday morning and driving away their car. He denied any involvement in the murder, was released on bail and has since disappeared.

Mr Hogg, a director of a laundry company in Bonnyrigg, Edinburgh, was allegedly blasted with a shotgun near his swimming pool.

The Herald:

Bloodstains were found in the sink and changing room area around the pool at their home, with signs that those surfaces had been wiped.

On Tuesday morning, police said they had arrested three men who had admitted to killing the couple and burying their bodies away from the house.

Major General Sanpat Praputsra said: ''Warut Satchakit has been arrested again for the theft of the car and being involved with the murder.

''Three suspects were traced from forensic checks on the car. They have confessed to the murder of Mr Alan and his wife Nott.

"They used a shotgun to kill Alan and said they buried him near the ducks.!

Officers used an excavator to dig an area next to the duck pond before discovering the two corpses with their shoes still on.

The Herald:

''The alleged villains used a hammer to murder his wife in the garage," added Major General Praputsra "Three people were involved in the murders with the instructions that it was their duty to kill the targets. They said that the victims were then buried in the garden."

The officers said there had been ill feeling among family members.

"The issue is likely to be a long-standing conflict within the family. We cannot find any other situations that are likely to have caused this.

"The brother-in-law had problems with money and there were family issues. Officers are working on the investigation day and night.

"We are certain that the disappearance comes from a family feud with Thai relatives."

The Herald:

The men were arrested after police discovered Mr Hogg's pick-up truck on Monday and returned it for forensic examinations.

Investigators found that the truck had been sold to nearby hill tribe people for £4,700 (200,000 baht) who then sold it to a man from Lao for £9,400 (420,000 baht) in Sukhothai last Friday.

The Laos man then drove it to Ayutthaya on a business trip until he learnt from media reports that police were looking for the vehicle and he contacted authorities.

The man turned the truck over to police in Ayutthaya on Sunday. He and the two sellers were then taken to Phra That Chor Hae police station to be interrogated.

Hogg, who worked as an engineer and businessman, had moved to Thailand several years ago and built the couple’s luxury three-storey home in Phrae province, which included a summer house and cattle yard.

The couple's daughter, Robyn, a 31-year-old production assistant flew to Thailand over the weekend to assist in the search.

He appeared to have severed many of his ties to the UK. He resigned in July 2017 as a director of the specialist dry-cleaning firm Clayfull, based in Bonnyrigg, near Edinburgh, which he co-founded in 1994.

He was listed as the only person with significant control of the business until it was sold last year to Johnson Service Group, a UK-wide firm that rents out and launders workware, and hotel and restaurant laundry.